Complex Effects of Ecosystem Engineer Loss on Benthic Ecosystem Response to Detrital Macroalgae.

Science.gov (United States)

Rossi, Francesca; Gribsholt, Britta; Gazeau, Frederic; Di Santo, Valentina; Middelburg, Jack J

2013-01-01

Ecosystem engineers change abiotic conditions, community assembly and ecosystem functioning. Consequently, their loss may modify thresholds of ecosystem response to disturbance and undermine ecosystem stability. This study investigates how loss of the bioturbating lugworm Arenicola marina modifies the response to macroalgal detrital enrichment of sediment biogeochemical properties, microphytobenthos and macrofauna assemblages. A field manipulative experiment was done on an intertidal sandflat (Oosterschelde estuary, The Netherlands). Lugworms were deliberately excluded from 1× m sediment plots and different amounts of detrital Ulva (0, 200 or 600 g Wet Weight) were added twice. Sediment biogeochemistry changes were evaluated through benthic respiration, sediment organic carbon content and porewater inorganic carbon as well as detrital macroalgae remaining in the sediment one month after enrichment. Microalgal biomass and macrofauna composition were measured at the same time. Macroalgal carbon mineralization and transfer to the benthic consumers were also investigated during decomposition at low enrichment level (200 g WW). The interaction between lugworm exclusion and detrital enrichment did not modify sediment organic carbon or benthic respiration. Weak but significant changes were instead found for porewater inorganic carbon and microalgal biomass. Lugworm exclusion caused an increase of porewater carbon and a decrease of microalgal biomass, while detrital enrichment drove these values back to values typical of lugworm-dominated sediments. Lugworm exclusion also decreased the amount of macroalgae remaining into the sediment and accelerated detrital carbon mineralization and CO2 release to the water column. Eventually, the interaction between lugworm exclusion and detrital enrichment affected macrofauna abundance and diversity, which collapsed at high level of enrichment only when the lugworms were present. This study reveals that in nature the role of this

Pre-Columbian agricultural landscapes, ecosystem engineers, and self-organized patchiness in Amazonia.

Science.gov (United States)

McKey, Doyle; Rostain, Stéphen; Iriarte, José; Glaser, Bruno; Birk, Jago Jonathan; Holst, Irene; Renard, Delphine

2010-04-27

The scale and nature of pre-Columbian human impacts in Amazonia are currently hotly debated. Whereas pre-Columbian people dramatically changed the distribution and abundance of species and habitats in some parts of Amazonia, their impact in other parts is less clear. Pioneer research asked whether their effects reached even further, changing how ecosystems function, but few in-depth studies have examined mechanisms underpinning the resilience of these modifications. Combining archeology, archeobotany, paleoecology, soil science, ecology, and aerial imagery, we show that pre-Columbian farmers of the Guianas coast constructed large raised-field complexes, growing on them crops including maize, manioc, and squash. Farmers created physical and biogeochemical heterogeneity in flat, marshy environments by constructing raised fields. When these fields were later abandoned, the mosaic of well-drained islands in the flooded matrix set in motion self-organizing processes driven by ecosystem engineers (ants, termites, earthworms, and woody plants) that occur preferentially on abandoned raised fields. Today, feedbacks generated by these ecosystem engineers maintain the human-initiated concentration of resources in these structures. Engineer organisms transport materials to abandoned raised fields and modify the structure and composition of their soils, reducing erodibility. The profound alteration of ecosystem functioning in these landscapes coconstructed by humans and nature has important implications for understanding Amazonian history and biodiversity. Furthermore, these landscapes show how sustainability of food-production systems can be enhanced by engineering into them follows that maintain ecosystem services and biodiversity. Like anthropogenic dark earths in forested Amazonia, these self-organizing ecosystems illustrate the ecological complexity of the legacy of pre-Columbian land use.

Disturbance-mediated facilitation by an intertidal ecosystem engineer.

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Jeffrey T; Gribben, Paul E

2017-09-01

Ecosystem engineers facilitate communities by providing a structural habitat that reduces abiotic stress or predation pressure for associated species. However, disturbance may damage or move the engineer to a more stressful environment, possibly increasing the importance of facilitation for associated communities. In this study, we determined how disturbance to intertidal boulders (i.e., flipping) and the subsequent movement of a structural ecosystem engineer, the tube-forming serpulid worm Galeolaria caespitosa, from the bottom (natural state, low abiotic stress) to the top (disturbed state, high abiotic stress) surface of boulders influenced the importance of facilitation for intertidal communities across two intertidal zones. Theory predicts stronger relative facilitation should occur in the harsher environments of the top of boulders and the high intertidal zone. To test this prediction, we experimentally positioned boulders with the serpulids either face up or face down for 12 months in low and high zones in an intertidal boulder field. There were very different communities associated with the different boulders and serpulids had the strongest facilitative effects on the more stressful top surface of boulders with approximately double the species richness compared to boulders lacking serpulids. Moreover, within the serpulid matrix itself there was also approximately double the species richness (both zones) and abundance (high zone only) of small invertebrates on the top of boulders compared to the bottom. The high relative facilitation on the top of boulders reflected a large reduction in temperature by the serpulid matrix on that surface (up to 10°C) highlighting a key role for modification of the abiotic environment in determining the community-wide facilitation. This study has demonstrated that disturbance and subsequent movement of an ecosystem engineer to a more stressful environment increased the importance of facilitation and allowed species to

Fungal symbiosis and precipitation alter traits and dune building by the ecosystem engineer, Ammophila breviligulata.

Science.gov (United States)

Emery, Sarah M; Bell-Dereske, Lukas; Rudgers, Jennifer A

2015-04-01

Ecosystem engineer species influence their community and ecosystem by creating or altering the physical structure of habitats. The function of ecosystem engineers is variable and can depend on both abiotic and biotic factors. Here we make use of a primary successional system to evaluate the direct and interactive effects of climate change (precipitation) and fungal endophyte symbiosis on population traits and ecosystem function of the ecosystem engineering grass species, Ammophila breviligulata. We manipulated endophyte presence in A. breviligulata in combination with rain-out shelters and rainfall additions in a factorial field experiment established in 2010 on Lake Michigan sand dunes. We monitored plant traits, survival, growth, and sexual reproduction of A. breviligulata from 2010-2013, and quantified ecosystem engineering as the sand accumulation rate. Presence of the endophyte in A. breviligulata increased vegetative growth by up to 19%, and reduced sexual reproduction by up to 46% across all precipitation treatments. Precipitation was a less significant factor than endophyte colonization for A. breviligulata growth. Reduced precipitation increased average leaf number per tiller but had no other effects on plant traits. Changes in A. breviligulata traits corresponded to increases in sand accumulation in plots with the endophyte as well as in plots with reduced precipitation. Sand accumulation is a key ecosystem function in these primary successional habitats, and so microbial symbiosis in this ecosystem engineer could lead to direct effects on the value of these dune habitats for humans.

Invasive ecosystem engineer selects for different phenotypes of an associated native species.

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Jeffrey T; Gribben, Paul E; Byers, James E; Monro, Keyne

2012-06-01

Invasive habitat-forming ecosystem engineers modify the abiotic environment and thus represent a major perturbation to many ecosystems. Because native species often persist in these invaded habitats but have no shared history with the ecosystem engineer, the engineer may impose novel selective pressure on native species. In this study, we used a phenotypic selection framework to determine whether an invasive habitat-forming ecosystem engineer (the seaweed Caulerpa taxifolia) selects for different phenotypes of a common co-occurring native species (the bivalve Anadara trapezia). Compared to unvegetated habitat, Caulerpa habitat has lower water flow, lower dissolved oxygen, and sediments are more silty and anoxic. We determined the performance consequences of variation in key functional traits that may be affected by these abiotic changes (shell morphology, gill mass, and palp mass) for Anadara transplanted into Caulerpa and unvegetated habitat. Both linear and nonlinear performance gradients in Anadara differed between habitats, and these gradients were stronger in Caulerpa compared to unvegetated sediment. Moreover, in Caulerpa alternate phenotypes performed well, and these phenotypes were different from the dominant phenotype in unvegetated sediment. By demonstrating that phenotype-performance gradients differ between habitats, we have highlighted a role for Caulerpa as an agent of selection on native species.

Knowledge translation in rehabilitation engineering research and development: a knowledge ecosystem framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Chau, Tom; Moghimi, Saba; Popovic, Milos R

2013-01-01

Rehabilitation engineering is concerned with technology innovations and technology-mediated treatments for the improvement of quality of care and quality of life of individuals with disability. Unlike many other fields of health research, the knowledge translation (KT) cycle of rehabilitation engineering research and development (R&D) is often considered incomplete until a technology product or technology-facilitated therapy is available to target clientele. As such, the KT journey of rehabilitation engineering R&D is extremely challenging, necessarily involving knowledge exchange among numerous players across multiple sectors. In this article, we draw on recent literature about the knowledge trichotomy in technology-based rehabilitation R&D and propose a knowledge ecosystem to frame the rehabilitation engineering KT process from need to product. Identifying the principal process of the ecosystem as one of knowledge flow, we elucidate the roles of repository and networked knowledge, identify key consumers and producers in a trinity of communities of practice, and draw on knowledge management literature to describe different knowledge flows. The article concludes with instantiations of this knowledge ecosystem for 2 local rehabilitation engineering research-development-commercialization endeavors. Copyright © 2013 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ecological Diversity of Soil Fauna as Ecosystem Engineers in Small-Holder Cocoa Plantation in South Konawe

OpenAIRE

Laode Muhammad Harjoni Kilowasid; Tati Suryati Syamsudin; Franciscus Xaverius Susilo; Endah Sulistyawati

2012-01-01

Taxa diversity within soil fauna functional groups can affected ecosystem functioning such as ecosystem engineers,which influence decomposition and nutrient cycling. The objective of this study is to describe ecological diversityvariation within soil fauna as ecosystem engineers in soil ecosystem of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) plantation.Sampling was conducted during one year period from five different ages of plantation. Soil fauna removed from soilcore using hand sorting methods. A total of ...

Habitat-mediated variation in the importance of ecosystem engineers for secondary cavity nesters in a nest web.

Science.gov (United States)

Robles, Hugo; Martin, Kathy

2014-01-01

Through physical state changes in biotic or abiotic materials, ecosystem engineers modulate resource availability to other organisms and are major drivers of evolutionary and ecological dynamics. Understanding whether and how ecosystem engineers are interchangeable for resource users in different habitats is a largely neglected topic in ecosystem engineering research that can improve our understanding of the structure of communities. We addressed this issue in a cavity-nest web (1999-2011). In aspen groves, the presence of mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) and tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolour) nests was positively related to the density of cavities supplied by northern flickers (Colaptes auratus), which provided the most abundant cavities (1.61 cavities/ha). Flickers in aspen groves provided numerous nesting cavities to bluebirds (66%) and swallows (46%), despite previous research showing that flicker cavities are avoided by swallows. In continuous mixed forests, however, the presence of nesting swallows was mainly related to cavity density of red-naped sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus nuchalis), which provided the most abundant cavities (0.52 cavities/ha), and to cavity density of hairy woodpeckers (Picoides villosus), which provided few (0.14 cavities/ha) but high-quality cavities. Overall, sapsuckers and hairy woodpeckers provided 86% of nesting cavities to swallows in continuous forests. In contrast, the presence of nesting bluebirds in continuous forests was associated with the density of cavities supplied by all the ecosystem engineers. These results suggest that (i) habitat type may mediate the associations between ecosystem engineers and resource users, and (ii) different ecosystem engineers may be interchangeable for resource users depending on the quantity and quality of resources that each engineer supplies in each habitat type. We, therefore, urge the incorporation of the variation in the quantity and quality of resources provided by ecosystem engineers

Newnes radio and electronics engineer's pocket book

CERN Document Server

Moorshead, H W; Perry, J

1978-01-01

Newnes Radio and Electronics Engineer's Pocket Book, Fifteenth Edition provides reference of the information relevant in radio and electronics engineering. The book presents tables, illustrations, and diagrams of various data used in radio and electronics engineering. The coverage of the text includes abbreviations and symbols, electrical equations, and code conversions. The text will be useful to engineers, technicians, and other professionals who require a reference about the different aspects of radio and electronics.

Linking biogeomorphic feedbacks from ecosystem engineer to landscape scale: a panarchy approach

Science.gov (United States)

Eichel, Jana

2017-04-01

Scale is a fundamental concept in both ecology and geomorphology. Therefore, scale-based approaches are a valuable tool to bridge the disciplines and improve the understanding of feedbacks between geomorphic processes, landforms, material and organisms and ecological processes in biogeomorphology. Yet, linkages between biogeomorphic feedbacks on different scales, e.g. between ecosystem engineering and landscape scale patterns and dynamics, are not well understood. A panarchy approach sensu Holling et al. (2002) can help to close this research gap and explain how structure and function are created in biogeomorphic ecosystems. Based on results from previous biogeomorphic research in Turtmann glacier foreland (Switzerland; Eichel, 2017; Eichel et al. 2013, 2016), a panarchy concept is presented for lateral moraine slope biogeomorphic ecosystems. It depicts biogeomorphic feedbacks on different spatiotemporal scales as a set of nested adaptive cycles and links them by 'remember' and 'revolt' connections. On a small scale (cm2 - m2; seconds to years), the life cycle of the ecosystem engineer Dryas octopetala L. is considered as an adaptive cycle. Biogeomorphic succession within patches created by geomorphic processes represents an intermediate scale adaptive cycle (m2 - ha, years to decades), while geomorphic and ecologic pattern development at a landscape scale (ha - km2, decades to centuries) can be illustrated by an adaptive cycle of ‚biogeomorphic patch dynamics' (Eichel, 2017). In the panarchy, revolt connections link the smaller scale adaptive cycles to larger scale cycles: on lateral moraine slopes, the development of ecosystem engineer biomass and cover controls the engineering threshold of the biogeomorphic feedback window (Eichel et al., 2016) and therefore the onset of the biogeomorphic phase during biogeomorphic succession. In this phase, engineer patches and biogeomorphic structures can be created in the patch mosaic of the landscape. Remember connections

An Analog Computer for Electronic Engineering Education

Science.gov (United States)

Fitch, A. L.; Iu, H. H. C.; Lu, D. D. C.

2011-01-01

This paper describes a compact analog computer and proposes its use in electronic engineering teaching laboratories to develop student understanding of applications in analog electronics, electronic components, engineering mathematics, control engineering, safe laboratory and workshop practices, circuit construction, testing, and maintenance. The…

Introduction to electronic engineering I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Bong Ryeol; Park, Han Gue; Lee, Tae Won; Choi, Gap Seok

1979-09-01

It deals with basic element of electronic engineering, which are an electric network such as alternating current voltage, distributed self, energy and power of an AC circuit, matrix, Tie-set and Cut-set, Fourier Transform and Laplace Transform, electromagnetics with vector theory, dot product and cross product, gradient, divergence static electricity, dielectric substance and capacity, boundary condition, resistance, magnetic field, magnetic circuit and electromagnetic field, electronic circuit including power circuit, amplification circuit, modulation and digital circuit, physical electronic engineering about movement of electron, semiconductor and integrated circuit.

Non-linear density-dependent effects of an intertidal ecosystem engineer.

Science.gov (United States)

Harley, Christopher D G; O'Riley, Jaclyn L

2011-06-01

Ecosystem engineering is an important process in a variety of ecosystems. However, the relationship between engineer density and engineering impact remains poorly understood. We used experiments and a mathematical model to examine the role of engineer density in a rocky intertidal community in northern California. In this system, the whelk Nucella ostrina preys on barnacles (Balanus glandula and Chthamalus dalli), leaving empty barnacle tests as a resource (favorable microhabitat) for other species. Field experiments demonstrated that N. ostrina predation increased the availability of empty tests of both barnacle species, reduced the density of the competitively dominant B. glandula, and indirectly increased the density of the competitively inferior C. dalli. Empty barnacle tests altered microhabitat humidity, but not temperature, and presumably provided a refuge from wave action. The herbivorous snail Littorina plena was positively associated with empty test availability in both observational comparisons and experimental manipulations of empty test availability, and L. plena density was elevated in areas with foraging N. ostrina. To explore the effects of variation in N. ostrina predation, we constructed a demographic matrix model for barnacles in which we varied predation intensity. The model predicted that number of available empty tests increases with predation intensity to a point, but declines when predation pressure was strong enough to severely reduce adult barnacle densities. The modeled number of available empty tests therefore peaked at an intermediate level of N. ostrina predation. Non-linear relationships between engineer density and engineer impact may be a generally important attribute of systems in which engineers influence the population dynamics of the species that they manipulate.

Electronics engineer's reference book

CERN Document Server

Mazda, F F

1989-01-01

Electronics Engineer's Reference Book, Sixth Edition is a five-part book that begins with a synopsis of mathematical and electrical techniques used in the analysis of electronic systems. Part II covers physical phenomena, such as electricity, light, and radiation, often met with in electronic systems. Part III contains chapters on basic electronic components and materials, the building blocks of any electronic design. Part IV highlights electronic circuit design and instrumentation. The last part shows the application areas of electronics such as radar and computers.

Electron microscopy for Engineers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, I P

2009-01-01

This paper reviews the application of (mainly) Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) in an engineering context. The first two sections are TEM and chemical in nature; the final three sections are more general and include aspects of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).

Shrubs as ecosystem engineers across an environmental gradient: effects on species richness and exotic plant invasion.

Science.gov (United States)

Kleinhesselink, Andrew R; Magnoli, Susan M; Cushman, J Hall

2014-08-01

Ecosystem-engineering plants modify the physical environment and can increase species diversity and exotic species invasion. At the individual level, the effects of ecosystem engineers on other plants often become more positive in stressful environments. In this study, we investigated whether the community-level effects of ecosystem engineers also become stronger in more stressful environments. Using comparative and experimental approaches, we assessed the ability of a native shrub (Ericameria ericoides) to act as an ecosystem engineer across a stress gradient in a coastal dune in northern California, USA. We found increased coarse organic matter and lower wind speeds within shrub patches. Growth of a dominant invasive grass (Bromus diandrus) was facilitated both by aboveground shrub biomass and by growing in soil taken from shrub patches. Experimental removal of shrubs negatively affected species most associated with shrubs and positively affected species most often found outside of shrubs. Counter to the stress-gradient hypothesis, the effects of shrubs on the physical environment and individual plant growth did not increase across the established stress gradient at this site. At the community level, shrub patches increased beta diversity, and contained greater rarified richness and exotic plant cover than shrub-free patches. Shrub effects on rarified richness increased with environmental stress, but effects on exotic cover and beta diversity did not. Our study provides evidence for the community-level effects of shrubs as ecosystem engineers in this system, but shows that these effects do not necessarily become stronger in more stressful environments.

2012 International Conference on Electrical and Electronics Engineering

CERN Document Server

Chen, Suting; Wei, Zhanming; Xia, Jingming

2014-01-01

Unifying Electrical Engineering and Electronics Engineering is based on the Proceedings of the 2012 International Conference on Electrical and Electronics Engineering (ICEE 2012). This book collects the peer reviewed papers presented at the conference. The aim of the conference is to unify the two areas of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. The book examines trends and techniques in the field as well as theories and applications. The editors have chosen to include the following topics; biotechnology, power engineering, superconductivity circuits, antennas technology, system architectures and telecommunication.

Indirect effects of ecosystem engineering combine with consumer behaviour to determine the spatial distribution of herbivory.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffen, Blaine D; Riley, Megan E; Cannizzo, Zachary J; Feller, Ilka C

2017-10-01

Ecosystem engineers alter environments by creating, modifying or destroying habitats. The indirect impacts of ecosystem engineering on trophic interactions should depend on the combination of the spatial distribution of engineered structures and the foraging behaviour of consumers that use these structures as refuges. In this study, we assessed the indirect effects of ecosystem engineering by a wood-boring beetle in a neotropical mangrove forest system. We identified herbivory patterns in a dwarf mangrove forest on the archipelago of Twin Cays, Belize. Past wood-boring activity impacted more than one-third of trees through the creation of tree holes that are now used, presumably as predation or thermal refuge, by the herbivorous mangrove tree crab Aratus pisonii. The presence of these refuges had a significant impact on plant-animal interactions; herbivory was more than fivefold higher on trees influenced by tree holes relative to those that were completely isolated from these refuges. Additionally, herbivory decreased exponentially with increasing distance from tree holes. We use individual-based simulation modelling to demonstrate that the creation of these herbivory patterns depends on a combination of the use of engineered tree holes for refuge by tree crabs, and the use of two behaviour patterns in this species-site fidelity to a "home tree," and more frequent foraging near their home tree. We demonstrate that understanding the spatial distribution of herbivory in this system depends on combining both the use of ecosystem engineering structures with individual behavioural patterns of herbivores. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2017 British Ecological Society.

2012 International Conference on Mechanical and Electronic Engineering

CERN Document Server

Lin, Sally; ICMEE2012; Advances in Mechanical and Electronic Engineering v.2

2012-01-01

This book includes the volume 2 of the proceedings of the 2012 International Conference on Mechanical and Electronic Engineering(ICMEE2012), held at June 23-24,2012 in Hefei, China. The conference provided a rare opportunity to bring together worldwide researchers who are working in the fields. This volume 2 is focusing on Mechatronic Engineering and Technology,  Electronic Engineering and Electronic Information Technology .

Resource quantity and quality determine the inter-specific associations between ecosystem engineers and resource users in a cavity-nest web.

Science.gov (United States)

Robles, Hugo; Martin, Kathy

2013-01-01

While ecosystem engineering is a widespread structural force of ecological communities, the mechanisms underlying the inter-specific associations between ecosystem engineers and resource users are poorly understood. A proper knowledge of these mechanisms is, however, essential to understand how communities are structured. Previous studies suggest that increasing the quantity of resources provided by ecosystem engineers enhances populations of resource users. In a long-term study (1995-2011), we show that the quality of the resources (i.e. tree cavities) provided by ecosystem engineers is also a key feature that explains the inter-specific associations in a tree cavity-nest web. Red-naped sapsuckers (Sphyrapicusnuchalis) provided the most abundant cavities (52% of cavities, 0.49 cavities/ha). These cavities were less likely to be used than other cavity types by mountain bluebirds (Sialiacurrucoides), but provided numerous nest-sites (41% of nesting cavities) to tree swallows (Tachycinetabicolour). Swallows experienced low reproductive outputs in northern flicker (Colaptesauratus) cavities compared to those in sapsucker cavities (1.1 vs. 2.1 fledglings/nest), but the highly abundant flickers (33% of cavities, 0.25 cavities/ha) provided numerous suitable nest-sites for bluebirds (58%). The relative shortage of cavities supplied by hairy woodpeckers (Picoidesvillosus) and fungal/insect decay (high quality nest-sites for both bluebirds and swallows. Because both the quantity and quality of resources supplied by different ecosystem engineers may explain the amount of resources used by each resource user, conservation strategies may require different management actions to be implemented for the key ecosystem engineer of each resource user. We, therefore, urge the incorporation of both resource quantity and quality into models that assess community dynamics to improve conservation actions and our understanding of ecological communities based on ecosystem engineering.

Dwarf eelgrass, Zostera japonica: a malevolent, benevolent, or benign invasive ecosystem engineer?

Science.gov (United States)

Dwarf eelgrass, Zostera japonica, is an introduced ecosystem engineering species first reported on the US west coast in 1957. In some US Pacific Northwest estuaries its areal coverage now exceeds that of the native eelgrass species, Zostera marina. Natural resource management’s...

Space Electronic Test Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, Rodney D.

2004-01-01

The Space Power and Propulsion Test Engineering Branch at NASA Glenn Research center has the important duty of controlling electronic test engineering services. These services include test planning and early assessment of Space projects, management and/or technical support required to safely and effectively prepare the article and facility for testing, operation of test facilities, and validation/delivery of data to customer. The Space Electronic Test Engineering Branch is assigned electronic test engineering responsibility for the GRC Space Simulation, Microgravity, Cryogenic, and Combustion Test Facilities. While working with the Space Power and Propulsion Test Engineering Branch I am working on several different assignments. My primary assignment deals with an electrical hardware unit known as Sunny Boy. Sunny Boy is a DC load Bank that is designed for solar arrays in which it is used to convert DC power form the solar arrays into AC power at 60 hertz to pump back into the electricity grid. However, there are some researchers who decided that they would like to use the Sunny Boy unit in a space simulation as a DC load bank for a space shuttle or even the International Space Station hardware. In order to do so I must create a communication link between a computer and the Sunny Boy unit so that I can preset a few of the limits (such power, set & constant voltage levels) that Sunny Boy will need to operate using the applied DC load. Apart from this assignment I am also working on a hi-tech circuit that I need to have built at a researcher s request. This is a high voltage analog to digital circuit that will be used to record data from space ion propulsion rocket booster tests. The problem that makes building this circuit so difficult is that it contains high voltage we must find a way to lower the voltage signal before the data is transferred into the computer to be read. The solution to this problem was to transport the signal using infrared light which will lower

Diverse effects of invasive ecosystem engineers on marine biodiversity and ecosystem functions: A global review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Guy-Haim, Tamar; Lyons, Devin A; Kotta, Jonne; Ojaveer, Henn; Queirós, Ana M; Chatzinikolaou, Eva; Arvanitidis, Christos; Como, Serena; Magni, Paolo; Blight, Andrew J; Orav-Kotta, Helen; Somerfield, Paul J; Crowe, Tasman P; Rilov, Gil

2018-03-01

Invasive ecosystem engineers (IEE) are potentially one of the most influential types of biological invaders. They are expected to have extensive ecological impacts by altering the physical-chemical structure of ecosystems, thereby changing the rules of existence for a broad range of resident biota. To test the generality of this expectation, we used a global systematic review and meta-analysis to examine IEE effects on the abundance of individual species and communities, biodiversity (using several indices) and ecosystem functions, focusing on marine and estuarine environments. We found that IEE had a significant effect (positive and negative) in most studies testing impacts on individual species, but the overall (cumulative) effect size was small and negative. Many individual studies showed strong IEE effects on community abundance and diversity, but the direction of effects was variable, leading to statistically non-significant overall effects in most categories. In contrast, there was a strong overall effect on most ecosystem functions we examined. IEE negatively affected metabolic functions and primary production, but positively affected nutrient flux, sedimentation and decomposition. We use the results to develop a conceptual model by highlighting pathways whereby IEE impact communities and ecosystem functions, and identify several sources of research bias in the IEE-related invasion literature. Only a few of the studies simultaneously quantified IEE effects on community/diversity and ecosystem functions. Therefore, understanding how IEE may alter biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships should be a primary focus of future studies of invasion biology. Moreover, the clear effects of IEE on ecosystem functions detected in our study suggest that scientists and environmental managers ought to examine how the effects of IEE might be manifested in the services that marine ecosystems provide to humans. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Ecosystem engineering potential of the gastropod Terebralia palustris (Linnaeus, 1767) in mangrove wastewater wetlands - A controlled mesocosm experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Penha-Lopes, Gil, E-mail: gil.penha-lopes@biology-research.co [Centro de Oceanografia - Laboratorio Maritimo da Guia, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Na, Senhora do Cabo 939, 2750-374 Cascais (Portugal); Department of Analytical and Environmental Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Brussels (Belgium); Bartolini, Fabrizio [Dipartimento di Biologia Evoluzionistica, Universita degli Studi di Firenze, via Romana 17, I-50125 Firenze (Italy); Limbu, Samwel [University of Dar es Salaam, Department of Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries, P.O. Box 35064, Dar es Salaam (Tanzania, United Republic of); Cannicci, Stefano [Dipartimento di Biologia Evoluzionistica, Universita degli Studi di Firenze, via Romana 17, I-50125 Firenze (Italy); Mgaya, Yunus [University of Dar es Salaam, Department of Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries, P.O. Box 35064, Dar es Salaam (Tanzania, United Republic of); Kristensen, Erik [Institute of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense M (Denmark); Paula, Jose [Centro de Oceanografia - Laboratorio Maritimo da Guia, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Na, Senhora do Cabo 939, 2750-374 Cascais (Portugal)

2010-01-15

The effect of different sewage concentrations (0, 20, 60 and 100%), vegetation (Bare, Avicennia marina or Rhizophora mucronata) and immersion periods (immersion/emersion period of 12/12 h or 3/3 days just for 100%) conditions were studied for 6 months on survival and growth rates of Terebralia palustris (Linnaeus, 1767). Gastropods' activity and ecosystem engineering preformed at bare and A. marina planted cells and 3 sewage conditions (0, 20 and 60%) were determined. Survival rates were higher than 70% in all treatments. Growth rate decreased significantly with increasing sewage concentrations (mainly at unplanted conditions) and longer immersion periods. A complete shift (from immersion to emersion periods) and a significant decrease in mobility and consequently its engineer potential, due to sewage contamination, lead to a 3-4 fold decrease in the amount of sediment disturbed. Sewage contamination, primary producers' abundance and environmental conditions may have influenced the gastropods survival, growth and its ecosystem engineering potential. - Terebralia palustris high ecosystem engineering potential in constructed mangrove wetlands.

Teaching electronics to first-year non-electrical engineering students

OpenAIRE

Dahnoun, Naim

2017-01-01

Teaching electronics is not only for electrical and electronics students but also for mechanical, aerospace, engineering design, civil and engineering mathematics programmes, which are likely to have electronics units as part of their curriculum. To teach electronics for these non-electronic programmes is very challenging in many aspects. First, the electronics unit has to satisfy the learning outcomes for each programme. Second, the student's motivation is normally very low since electronics...

Modelling Potential Consequences of Different Geo-Engineering Treatments for the Baltic Sea Ecosystem

Science.gov (United States)

Schrum, C.; Daewel, U.

2017-12-01

From 1950 onwards, the Baltic Sea ecosystem suffered increasingly from eutrophication. The most obvious reason for the eutrophication is the huge amount of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) reaching the Baltic Sea from human activities. However, although nutrient loads have been decreasing since 1980, the hypoxic areas have not decreased accordingly. Thus, geo-engineering projects were discussed and evaluated to artificially ventilate the Baltic Sea deep water and suppress nutrient release from the sediments. Here, we aim at understanding the consequences of proposed geo-engineering projects in the Baltic Sea using long-term scenario modelling. For that purpose, we utilize a 3d coupled ecosystem model ECOSMO E2E, a novel NPZD-Fish model approach that resolves hydrodynamics, biogeochemical cycling and lower and higher trophic level dynamics. We performed scenario modelling that consider proposed geo-engineering projects such as artificial ventilation of Baltic Sea deep waters and phosphorus binding in sediments with polyaluminium chlorides. The model indicates that deep-water ventilation indeed suppresses phosphorus release in the first 1-4 years of treatment. Thereafter macrobenthos repopulates the formerly anoxic bottom regions and nutrients are increasingly recycled in the food web. Consequently, overall system productivity and fish biomass increases and toxic algae blooms decrease. However, deep-water ventilation has no long-lasting effect on the ecosystem: soon after completion of the ventilation process, the system turns back into its original state. Artificial phosphorus binding in sediments in contrast decreases overall ecosystem productivity through permanent removal of phosphorus. As expected it decreases bacterial production and toxic algae blooms, but it also decreases fish production substantially. Contrastingly to deep water ventilation, artificial phosphorus binding show a long-lasting effect over decades after termination of the treatment.

Octopus tetricus (Mollusca: Cephalopoda as an ecosystem engineer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Scheel

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The Sydney octopus (Octopus tetricus occurs in unusual numbers on a shell bed of its prey remains that have accumulated as an extended midden where additional octopuses excavate dens. Here, O tetricus are ecosystem engineers, organisms that modulate availability of resources to other species and to their own species by causing physical state changes in materials. A community of invertebrate grazers and scavengers has developed on the shell bed. Fishes are attracted to the shell bed in numbers significantly greater than in nearby habitats. Large predators, including wobbegong sharks, were attracted to and fed on concentrations of fish, inhibiting the activities of the original engineers, the octopuses. Positive feedbacks included the accumulation of shell debris, increasing shelter availability for additional octopuses and aggregating fish. Negative feedbacks included reductions of nearby prey size and availability, aggression among octopuses, and predator limitation to octopus activity that would otherwise maintain the shell bed.

The effect of a nematode parasite on feeding and dung-burying behavior of an ecosystem engineer.

Science.gov (United States)

Boze, Broox G V; Moore, Janice

2014-07-01

Dung beetles (genus Phanaeus) consume feces in both their larval and adults forms and because of their unique dietary niche, and behaviors associated with the burial of feces, are considered ecosystem engineers. In addition, because these insects subsist on a diet composed exclusively of feces, it is likely they encounter parasitic propagules more frequently than other animals do. Parasites often alter their host's behavior, so we set out to test whether Physocephalus sexalatus (a cosmopolitan nematode parasite of ungulates) does so in ways that affect the dung beetle's role as an ecosystem engineer and/or its predator-prey relationships (transmission of the parasite). Classic tests of anti-predator behavior did not reveal behavioral differences based on the beetles' infection status. However, this parasite did alter the beetles' behaviors in ways that could be critical for its role in fecal processing and therefore ecosystem engineering. Infected beetles exhibited anorexic behavior and consumed only half the amount of feces ingested by similar uninfected beetles. Infected beetles also buried less feces and did so in tunnels that were significantly shorter than those created by uninfected beetles. Fecal burial is naturally beneficial because it aerates the soil, incorporates nitrogenous compounds, and increases the flow of water thereby making soil and pastureland more productive. We showed that the nematode parasite P. sexalatus itself becomes an ecosystem engineer as it modifies the behavior of its already influential intermediate host. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Impacts of light shading and nutrient enrichment geo-engineering approaches on the productivity of a stratified, oligotrophic ocean ecosystem.

Science.gov (United States)

Hardman-Mountford, Nick J; Polimene, Luca; Hirata, Takafumi; Brewin, Robert J W; Aiken, Jim

2013-12-06

Geo-engineering proposals to mitigate global warming have focused either on methods of carbon dioxide removal, particularly nutrient fertilization of plant growth, or on cooling the Earth's surface by reducing incoming solar radiation (shading). Marine phytoplankton contribute half the Earth's biological carbon fixation and carbon export in the ocean is modulated by the actions of microbes and grazing communities in recycling nutrients. Both nutrients and light are essential for photosynthesis, so understanding the relative influence of both these geo-engineering approaches on ocean ecosystem production and processes is critical to the evaluation of their effectiveness. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between light and nutrient availability on productivity in a stratified, oligotrophic subtropical ocean ecosystem using a one-dimensional water column model coupled to a multi-plankton ecosystem model, with the goal of elucidating potential impacts of these geo-engineering approaches on ecosystem production. We find that solar shading approaches can redistribute productivity in the water column but do not change total production. Macronutrient enrichment is able to enhance the export of carbon, although heterotrophic recycling reduces the efficiency of carbon export substantially over time. Our results highlight the requirement for a fuller consideration of marine ecosystem interactions and feedbacks, beyond simply the stimulation of surface blooms, in the evaluation of putative geo-engineering approaches.

Engineering a plant community to deliver multiple ecosystem services.

Science.gov (United States)

Storkey, Jonathan; Döring, Thomas; Baddeley, John; Collins, Rosemary; Roderick, Stephen; Jones, Hannah; Watson, Christine

2015-06-01

The sustainable delivery of multiple ecosystem services requires the management of functionally diverse biological communities. In an agricultural context, an emphasis on food production has often led to a loss of biodiversity to the detriment of other ecosystem services such as the maintenance of soil health and pest regulation. In scenarios where multiple species can be grown together, it may be possible to better balance environmental and agronomic services through the targeted selection of companion species. We used the case study of legume-based cover crops to engineer a plant community that delivered the optimal balance of six ecosystem services: early productivity, regrowth following mowing, weed suppression, support of invertebrates, soil fertility building (measured as yield of following crop), and conservation of nutrients in the soil. An experimental species pool of 12 cultivated legume species was screened for a range of functional traits and ecosystem services at five sites across a geographical gradient in the United Kingdom. All possible species combinations were then analyzed, using a process-based model of plant competition, to identify the community that delivered the best balance of services at each site. In our system, low to intermediate levels of species richness (one to four species) that exploited functional contrasts in growth habit and phenology were identified as being optimal. The optimal solution was determined largely by the number of species and functional diversity represented by the starting species pool, emphasizing the importance of the initial selection of species for the screening experiments. The approach of using relationships between functional traits and ecosystem services to design multifunctional biological communities has the potential to inform the design of agricultural systems that better balance agronomic and environmental services and meet the current objective of European agricultural policy to maintain viable food

Electronics Engineering Department Thrust Area report FY'84

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minichino, C.; Phelps, P.L.

1984-01-01

This report describes the work of the Electronics Engineering Department Thrust Areas for FY'84: diagnostics and microelectronic engineering; signal and control engineering; microwave and pulsed power engineering; computer-aided engineering; engineering modeling and simulation; and systems engineering. For each Thrust Area, an overview and a description of the goals and achievements of each project is provided

Evidence of Facilitation Cascade Processes as Drivers of Successional Patterns of Ecosystem Engineers at the Upper Altitudinal Limit of the Dry Puna.

Science.gov (United States)

Malatesta, Luca; Tardella, Federico Maria; Piermarteri, Karina; Catorci, Andrea

2016-01-01

Facilitation processes constitute basic elements of vegetation dynamics in harsh systems. Recent studies in tropical alpine environments demonstrated how pioneer plant species defined as "ecosystem engineers" are capable of enhancing landscape-level richness by adding new species to the community through the modification of microhabitats, and also provided hints about the alternation of different ecosystem engineers over time. Nevertheless, most of the existing works analysed different ecosystem engineers separately, without considering the interaction of different ecosystem engineers. Focusing on the altitudinal limit of Peruvian Dry Puna vegetation, we hypothesized that positive interactions structure plant communities by facilitation cascades involving different ecosystem engineers, determining the evolution of the microhabitat patches in terms of abiotic resources and beneficiary species hosted. To analyze successional mechanisms, we used a "space-for-time" substitution to account for changes over time, and analyzed data on soil texture, composition, and temperature, facilitated species and their interaction with nurse species, and surface area of engineered patches by means of chemical analyses, indicator species analysis, and rarefaction curves. A successional process, resulting from the dynamic interaction of different ecosystem engineers, which determined a progressive amelioration of soil conditions (e.g. nitrogen and organic matter content, and temperature), was the main driver of species assemblage at the community scale, enhancing species richness. Cushion plants act as pioneers, by starting the successional processes that continue with shrubs and tussocks. Tussock grasses have sometimes been found to be capable of creating microhabitat patches independently. The dynamics of species assemblage seem to follow the nested assemblage mechanism, in which the first foundation species to colonize a habitat provides a novel substrate for colonization by other

Post-mortem ecosystem engineering by oysters creates habitat for a rare marsh plant.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Hongyu; Pennings, Steven C

2012-11-01

Oysters are ecosystem engineers in marine ecosystems, but the functions of oyster shell deposits in intertidal salt marshes are not well understood. The annual plant Suaeda linearis is associated with oyster shell deposits in Georgia salt marshes. We hypothesized that oyster shell deposits promoted the distribution of Suaeda linearis by engineering soil conditions unfavorable to dominant salt marsh plants of the region (the shrub Borrichia frutescens, the rush Juncus roemerianus, and the grass Spartina alterniflora). We tested this hypothesis using common garden pot experiments and field transplant experiments. Suaeda linearis thrived in Borrichia frutescens stands in the absence of neighbors, but was suppressed by Borrichia frutescens in the with-neighbor treatment, suggesting that Suaeda linearis was excluded from Borrichia frutescens stands by interspecific competition. Suaeda linearis plants all died in Juncus roemerianus and Spartina alterniflora stands, regardless of neighbor treatments, indicating that Suaeda linearis is excluded from these habitats by physical stress (likely water-logging). In contrast, Borrichia frutescens, Juncus roemerianus, and Spartina alterniflora all performed poorly in Suaeda linearis stands regardless of neighbor treatments, probably due to physical stresses such as low soil water content and low organic matter content. Thus, oyster shell deposits play an important ecosystem engineering role in influencing salt marsh plant communities by providing a unique niche for Suaeda linearis, which otherwise would be rare or absent in salt marshes in the southeastern US. Since the success of Suaeda linearis is linked to the success of oysters, efforts to protect and restore oyster reefs may also benefit salt marsh plant communities.

Fully printable, strain-engineered electronic wrap for customizable soft electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Byun, Junghwan; Lee, Byeongmoon; Oh, Eunho; Kim, Hyunjong; Kim, Sangwoo; Lee, Seunghwan; Hong, Yongtaek

2017-03-24

Rapid growth of stretchable electronics stimulates broad uses in multidisciplinary fields as well as industrial applications. However, existing technologies are unsuitable for implementing versatile applications involving adaptable system design and functions in a cost/time-effective way because of vacuum-conditioned, lithographically-predefined processes. Here, we present a methodology for a fully printable, strain-engineered electronic wrap as a universal strategy which makes it more feasible to implement various stretchable electronic systems with customizable layouts and functions. The key aspects involve inkjet-printed rigid island (PRI)-based stretchable platform technology and corresponding printing-based automated electronic functionalization methodology, the combination of which provides fully printed, customized layouts of stretchable electronic systems with simplified process. Specifically, well-controlled contact line pinning effect of printed polymer solution enables the formation of PRIs with tunable thickness; and surface strain analysis on those PRIs leads to the optimized stability and device-to-island fill factor of strain-engineered electronic wraps. Moreover, core techniques of image-based automated pinpointing, surface-mountable device based electronic functionalizing, and one-step interconnection networking of PRIs enable customized circuit design and adaptable functionalities. To exhibit the universality of our approach, multiple types of practical applications ranging from self-computable digital logics to display and sensor system are demonstrated on skin in a customized form.

Fully printable, strain-engineered electronic wrap for customizable soft electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Byun, Junghwan; Lee, Byeongmoon; Oh, Eunho; Kim, Hyunjong; Kim, Sangwoo; Lee, Seunghwan; Hong, Yongtaek

2017-03-01

Rapid growth of stretchable electronics stimulates broad uses in multidisciplinary fields as well as industrial applications. However, existing technologies are unsuitable for implementing versatile applications involving adaptable system design and functions in a cost/time-effective way because of vacuum-conditioned, lithographically-predefined processes. Here, we present a methodology for a fully printable, strain-engineered electronic wrap as a universal strategy which makes it more feasible to implement various stretchable electronic systems with customizable layouts and functions. The key aspects involve inkjet-printed rigid island (PRI)-based stretchable platform technology and corresponding printing-based automated electronic functionalization methodology, the combination of which provides fully printed, customized layouts of stretchable electronic systems with simplified process. Specifically, well-controlled contact line pinning effect of printed polymer solution enables the formation of PRIs with tunable thickness; and surface strain analysis on those PRIs leads to the optimized stability and device-to-island fill factor of strain-engineered electronic wraps. Moreover, core techniques of image-based automated pinpointing, surface-mountable device based electronic functionalizing, and one-step interconnection networking of PRIs enable customized circuit design and adaptable functionalities. To exhibit the universality of our approach, multiple types of practical applications ranging from self-computable digital logics to display and sensor system are demonstrated on skin in a customized form.

Innovative technologies in course Electrical engineering and electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Kuznetsov, E. V.; Kiselev, V. I.; Kulikova, E. A.

2017-11-01

Department of Electrical Engineering and Nondestructive Testing, NRU “MPEI”, has been working on development Electronic Learning Resources (ELRs) in course Electrical Engineering and Electronics for several years. This work have been focused on education intensification and effectiveness while training bachelors in nonelectrical specializations including students from Thermal and Atomic Power Engineering Institute. The developed ELRs are united in a tutorial module consisting of three parts (Electrical Circuits, Electrical Machines, Basics of Electronics): electronic textbook and workbook (ETW); virtual laboratory sessions (VLS); training sessions (ETS); personal tasks (PT); testing system that contains electronic tests in all course subjects and built-in verification of a student’s work results in ETW, VLS, ETS, PT. The report presents samples of different ELRs in html format and MathCAD, MatLAB Simulink applications, copyrighted programs in Java2, Delphi, VB6, C++. The report also contains the experience description, advantages and disadvantages of the new technologies. It is mentioned that ELRs provide new opportunities in course studying.

Evidence of Facilitation Cascade Processes as Drivers of Successional Patterns of Ecosystem Engineers at the Upper Altitudinal Limit of the Dry Puna.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luca Malatesta

Full Text Available Facilitation processes constitute basic elements of vegetation dynamics in harsh systems. Recent studies in tropical alpine environments demonstrated how pioneer plant species defined as "ecosystem engineers" are capable of enhancing landscape-level richness by adding new species to the community through the modification of microhabitats, and also provided hints about the alternation of different ecosystem engineers over time. Nevertheless, most of the existing works analysed different ecosystem engineers separately, without considering the interaction of different ecosystem engineers. Focusing on the altitudinal limit of Peruvian Dry Puna vegetation, we hypothesized that positive interactions structure plant communities by facilitation cascades involving different ecosystem engineers, determining the evolution of the microhabitat patches in terms of abiotic resources and beneficiary species hosted. To analyze successional mechanisms, we used a "space-for-time" substitution to account for changes over time, and analyzed data on soil texture, composition, and temperature, facilitated species and their interaction with nurse species, and surface area of engineered patches by means of chemical analyses, indicator species analysis, and rarefaction curves. A successional process, resulting from the dynamic interaction of different ecosystem engineers, which determined a progressive amelioration of soil conditions (e.g. nitrogen and organic matter content, and temperature, was the main driver of species assemblage at the community scale, enhancing species richness. Cushion plants act as pioneers, by starting the successional processes that continue with shrubs and tussocks. Tussock grasses have sometimes been found to be capable of creating microhabitat patches independently. The dynamics of species assemblage seem to follow the nested assemblage mechanism, in which the first foundation species to colonize a habitat provides a novel substrate for

Trust building electronic services as a crucial self-regulation feature of Digital Business Ecosystems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radoslav Delina

2012-04-01

Full Text Available In the field of digital business ecosystem, the self-regulation feature plays crucial role. ICT supports biological and sociological phenomena through efficient electronic services. One of the main roles is building and enhancing efficient relationships between actors within the ecosystem. Problem of interaction between commercial subjects depends on expected benefits. These expectations are predictors of successful result from realized transaction with potential partner. And this predictor is based on trust and trustworthiness. The paper presents trust as crucial factor for cooperation and discusses specifics of several trust building mechanisms to increase the level of trust in e-cooperation within digital business ecosystems. Based on results provided by questionnaire survey in Slovak business environment, the paper discusses the relationship between the level of respondents´ electronic business experience and their preferences for the portfolio of trust building mechanisms.

Mammalian engineers drive soil microbial communities and ecosystem functions across a disturbance gradient.

Science.gov (United States)

Eldridge, David J; Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel; Woodhouse, Jason N; Neilan, Brett A

2016-11-01

The effects of mammalian ecosystem engineers on soil microbial communities and ecosystem functions in terrestrial ecosystems are poorly known. Disturbance from livestock has been widely reported to reduce soil function, but disturbance by animals that forage in the soil may partially offset these negative effects of livestock, directly and/or indirectly by shifting the composition and diversity of soil microbial communities. Understanding the role of disturbance from livestock and ecosystem engineers in driving soil microbes and functions is essential for formulating sustainable ecosystem management and conservation policies. We compared soil bacterial community composition and enzyme concentrations within four microsites: foraging pits of two vertebrates, the indigenous short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) and the exotic European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), and surface and subsurface soils along a gradient in grazing-induced disturbance in an arid woodland. Microbial community composition varied little across the disturbance gradient, but there were substantial differences among the four microsites. Echidna pits supported a lower relative abundance of Acidobacteria and Cyanobacteria, but a higher relative abundance of Proteobacteria than rabbit pits and surface microsites. Moreover, these microsite differences varied with disturbance. Rabbit pits had a similar profile to the subsoil or the surface soils under moderate and high, but not low disturbance. Overall, echidna foraging pits had the greatest positive effect on function, assessed as mean enzyme concentrations, but rabbits had the least. The positive effects of echidna foraging on function were indirectly driven via microbial community composition. In particular, increasing activity was positively associated with increasing relative abundance of Proteobacteria, but decreasing Acidobacteria. Our study suggests that soil disturbance by animals may offset, to some degree, the oft-reported negative

Reliable design of electronic equipment an engineering guide

CERN Document Server

Natarajan, Dhanasekharan

2014-01-01

This book explains reliability techniques with examples from electronics design for the benefit of engineers. It presents the application of de-rating, FMEA, overstress analyses and reliability improvement tests for designing reliable electronic equipment. Adequate information is provided for designing computerized reliability database system to support the application of the techniques by designers. Pedantic terms and the associated mathematics of reliability engineering discipline are excluded for the benefit of comprehensiveness and practical applications. This book offers excellent support

Balkanized research in ecological engineering revealed by a bibliometric analysis of earthworms and ecosystem services.

Science.gov (United States)

Blouin, Manuel; Sery, Nicolas; Cluzeau, Daniel; Brun, Jean-Jacques; Bédécarrats, Alain

2013-08-01

Energy crisis, climate changes, and biodiversity losses have reinforced the drive for more ecologically-based approaches for environmental management. Such approaches are characterized by the use of organisms rather than energy-consuming technologies. Although earthworms are believed to be potentially useful organisms for managing ecosystem services, there is actually no quantification of such a trend in literature. This bibliometric analysis aimed to measure the evolution of the association of "earthworms" and other terms such as ecosystem services (primary production, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, soil structure, and pollution remediation), "ecological engineering" or "biodiversity," to assess their convergence or divergence through time. In this aim, we calculated the similarity index, an indicator of the paradigmatic proximity defined in applied epistemology, for each year between 1900 and 2009. We documented the scientific fields and the geographical origins of the studies, as well as the land uses, and compare these characteristics with a 25 years old review on earthworm management. The association of earthworm related keywords with ecosystem services related keywords was increasing with time, reflecting the growing interest in earthworm use in biodiversity and ecosystem services management. Conversely, no significant increase in the association between earthworms and disciplines such as ecological engineering or restoration ecology was observed. This demonstrated that general ecologically-based approaches have yet to emerge and that there is little exchange of knowledge, methods or concepts among balkanized application realms. Nevertheless, there is a strong need for crossing the frontiers between fields of application and for developing an umbrella discipline to provide a framework for the use of organisms to manage ecosystem services.

Ecosystem engineering varies spatially: a test of the vegetation modification paradigm for prairie dogs

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Bruce W.; Augustine, David J.; Sedgwick, James A.; Lubow, Bruce C.

2013-01-01

Colonial, burrowing herbivores can be engineers of grassland and shrubland ecosystems worldwide. Spatial variation in landscapes suggests caution when extrapolating single-place studies of single species, but lack of data and the need to generalize often leads to ‘model system’ thinking and application of results beyond appropriate statistical inference. Generalizations about the engineering effects of prairie dogs (Cynomys sp.) developed largely from intensive study at a single complex of black-tailed prairie dogs C. ludovicianus in northern mixed prairie, but have been extrapolated to other ecoregions and prairie dog species in North America, and other colonial, burrowing herbivores. We tested the paradigm that prairie dogs decrease vegetation volume and the cover of grasses and tall shrubs, and increase bare ground and forb cover. We sampled vegetation on and off 279 colonies at 13 complexes of 3 prairie dog species widely distributed across 5 ecoregions in North America. The paradigm was generally supported at 7 black-tailed prairie dog complexes in northern mixed prairie, where vegetation volume, grass cover, and tall shrub cover were lower, and bare ground and forb cover were higher, on colonies than at paired off-colony sites. Outside the northern mixed prairie, all 3 prairie dog species consistently reduced vegetation volume, but their effects on cover of plant functional groups varied with prairie dog species and the grazing tolerance of dominant perennial grasses. White-tailed prairie dogs C. leucurus in sagebrush steppe did not reduce shrub cover, whereas black-tailed prairie dogs suppressed shrub cover at all complexes with tall shrubs in the surrounding habitat matrix. Black-tailed prairie dogs in shortgrass steppe and Gunnison's prairie dogs C. gunnisoni in Colorado Plateau grassland both had relatively minor effects on grass cover, which may reflect the dominance of grazing-tolerant shortgrasses at both complexes. Variation in modification of

Fluvial gravel stabilization by net-spinning Hydropsychid caddisflies: exploring the magnitude and geographic scope of ecosystem engineering effect and evaluating resistance to anthropogenic stresses

Science.gov (United States)

Daniels, M.; Albertson, L.; Sklar, L. S.; Tumolo, B.; Mclaughlin, M. K.

2017-12-01

Several studies have demonstrated the substantial effects that organisms can have on earth surface processes. Known as ecosystem engineers, in streams these organisms maintain, modify, or create physical habitat structure by influencing fluvial processes such as gravel movement, fine sediment deposition and bank erosion. However, the ecology of ecosystem engineers and the magnitude of ecosystem engineering effects in a world increasingly influence by anthropogenically-driven changes is not well understood. Here we present a synthesis of research findings on the potential gravel stabilization effects of Hydropsychid caddisflies, a globally distributed group of net-spinning insects that live in the benthic substrate of most freshwater streams. Hydropsychid caddisflies act as ecosystem engineers because these silk structures can fundamentally alter sediment transport conditions, including sediment stability and flow currents. The silk nets spun by these insects attach gravel grains to one another, increasing the shear stress required to initiate grain entrainment. In a series of independent laboratory experiments, we investigate the gravel size fractions most affected by these silk attachments. We also investigate the role of anthropogenic environmental stresses on ecosystem engineering potential by assessing the impact of two common stressors, high fine sediment loads and stream drying, on silk structures. Finally, an extensive field survey of grain size and Hydropsychid caddisfly population densities informs a watershed-scale network model of Hydropsychid caddisfly gravel stabilizing potential. Our findings provide some of the first evidence that caddisfly silk may be a biological structure that is resilient to various forms of human-mediated stress and that the effects of animal ecosystem engineers are underappreciated as an agent of resistance and recovery for aquatic communities experiencing changes in sediment loads and hydrologic regimes.

ANP applied to electronics engineering project selection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Habib, M.

2010-01-01

Project selection in Electronics engineering is a complex decision-making process. This research paper illustrates an application of ANP/AHP process. The AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) is employed to break down large unstructured decision problems into manageable and measureable components. The ANP, as the general form of AHP, is powerful to deal with complex decisions where interdependence exists in a decision model. The research paper discusses the use of the ANP, a general form of Saaty's analytic Network process, as a model to evaluate the value of competing Electronics projects. The research paper concludes with a case study describing the implementation of this model at an engineering college, including data based on the actual use of the decision making model. The case study helps to verify that AHP is an effective and efficient decision-making tool. A major contribution of this work is to provide a methodology for assessing the best project. Despite a number of publications applying AHP in project selection, this is probably the first time that an attempt has been made to apply AHP in an electronics project selection in an engineering university environment. (author)

Recruitment dynamics of two ecosystem engineers could drive shellfish populations in U.S. west coast estuaries

Science.gov (United States)

Two species of burrowing shrimp, Neotrypaea californiensis and Upogebia pugettensis are important members of intertidal mudflat communities in US West coast estuaries. Both species act as ecosystem engineers and influence the presence of other structured habitats and suspension ...

Trees as Ecosystem Engineers Driving Vegetational Restoration/Retrogradation of Industrial Deposits in Cultural Landscape

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Romana Prausová

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Industrial processes are marked with various deposits of wastes in landscapes. They are typically characterized by high pollution levels in all their ecosystem components, including soil, water and air. Even more than natural ecosystems, artificial ash and mine tailings containments or industrial dumps are disconnected from nature or agricultural surroundings by their construction geometry. This combination of factors directs such patches of landscape to the isolation (island effect and hihglighting of land-surface fragmentation. What is the most proper tool serving efficiently for support of sharp boundaries dissolution and comeback of the habitat close to natural one? In the European climatic conditions, trees function as reliable ecosystem engineers under the conditions of keeping sites without human interventions. However, spontaneous colonization and succession include vegetational phases of both increased species diversity (advanced successional stages and secondary species diversity reduction (successional retrogradation, usually in dependence on the soil-substrate development.

Proceedings of 2011 International Conference on Electronic Engineering, Communication and Management

CERN Document Server

Lin, Sally

2012-01-01

This volume presents the main results of 2011 International Conference on Electronic  Engineering, Communication and Management (EECM2011) held December 24-25, 2011, Beijing China. The EECM2011 is an integrated conference providing a valuable opportunity for researchers, scholars and scientists to exchange their ideas face to face together. The main focus of the EECM 2011 and the present 2 volumes “Advances in Electronic Engineering, Communication and Management” is on Power Engineering, Electrical engineering applications, Electrical machines, as well as Communication and Information Systems Engineering.

Proceedings of 2011 International Conference on Electronic Engineering, Communication and Management

CERN Document Server

Lin, Sally

2012-01-01

  This volume presents the main results of 2011 International Conference on Electronic  Engineering, Communication and Management (EECM2011) held December 24-25, 2011, Beijing China. The EECM2011 is an integrated conference providing a valuable opportunity for researchers, scholars and scientists to exchange their ideas face to face together. The main focus of the EECM 2011 and the present 2 volumes “Advances in Electronic Engineering, Communication and Management” is on Power Engineering, Electrical engineering applications, Electrical machines, as well as Communication and Information Systems Engineering.

Major changes in the ecology of the Wadden Sea: human impacts, ecosystem engineering and sediment dynamics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eriksson, B.K.; van der Heide, T.; Van de Koppel, J.; Piersma, T.; Van der Veer, H.W.; Olff, H.

2010-01-01

Shallow soft-sediment systems are mostly dominated by species that, by strongly affecting sediment dynamics, modify their local environment. Such ecosystem engineering species can have either sediment-stabilizing or sediment-destabilizing effects on tidal flats. They interplay with abiotic forcing

Electronic battlespace facility for research, develoment and engineering

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jense, Hans; Kuijpers, N.H.L.; Elias, R.J.D.

1997-01-01

In order to support its research, development and engineering activities in the area of distributed simulation for training and command & control, TNO Physics and Electronics Laboratory has developed (and continues to enhance) an Electronic Battlespace Facility (EBF). This paper presents an overview

Towards a typification of software ecosystems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knodel, Jens; Manikas, Konstantinos

2015-01-01

Classical software engineering has been traditionally dominated by stand-alone development organizations and collaborations be- tween contractors, integrators and suppliers. The notion of software ecosystems has been established as a new kind of software engineer- ing paradigm in the last decade....... In its essence it proposes participative engineering across independent development organizations. This short paper reviews the current state-of-the-art and presents a typification of successful software ecosystems. We further discuss key characteristic of the ecosystem types and present a set of example...... cases. The characterization reviews and consolidates existing research and discusses variations within the key building block of a software ecosystem. It further enables sharpening the borders of what an ecosystem is (and what not) and how the individual types can be differentiated. Thus, this paper...

Electronic ignition system for internal combustion engines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crowder, L W

1980-11-20

Mechanical ignition adjustment devices are sensitive to many effects, for example breakage, faults due to manufacturing tolerances, play in the linkage and the effect of a dirty or corrosive environment. It is therefore the purpose of the invention to provide an electronic ignition system which avoids the disadvantages of a mechanical system. The invention provides adjustment of the ignition point, which gives advance of the ignition timing with increasing speed. An output signal is formed, which supersedes the signal supplied by the electronic control system, so that the ignition is advanced. This also occurs with a larger crankshaft angle before top dead centre of the engine. The electronic control system combines with a source of AC time signals which has a generator as electrical transmitter and a DC battery and ignition coil. The rotor of the electrical generator is driven synchronised with the engine. Structural and functional details of the transistor control circuits are given in 5 patent claims.

Engineers' Responsibilities for Global Electronic Waste: Exploring Engineering Student Writing Through a Care Ethics Lens.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Ryan C; Wilson, Denise

2017-04-01

This paper provides an empirically informed perspective on the notion of responsibility using an ethical framework that has received little attention in the engineering-related literature to date: ethics of care. In this work, we ground conceptual explorations of engineering responsibility in empirical findings from engineering student's writing on the human health and environmental impacts of "backyard" electronic waste recycling/disposal. Our findings, from a purposefully diverse sample of engineering students in an introductory electrical engineering course, indicate that most of these engineers of tomorrow associated engineers with responsibility for the electronic waste (e-waste) problem in some way. However, a number of responses suggested attempts to deflect responsibility away from engineers towards, for example, the government or the companies for whom engineers work. Still other students associated both engineers and non-engineers with responsibility, demonstrating the distributed/collective nature of responsibility that will be required to achieve a solution to the global problem of excessive e-waste. Building upon one element of a framework for care ethics adopted from the wider literature, these empirical findings are used to facilitate a preliminary, conceptual exploration of care-ethical responsibility within the context of engineering and e-waste recycling/disposal. The objective of this exploration is to provide a first step toward understanding how care-ethical responsibility applies to engineering. We also hope to seed dialogue within the engineering community about its ethical responsibilities on the issue. We conclude the paper with a discussion of its implications for engineering education and engineering ethics that suggests changes for educational policy and the practice of engineering.

Trait- and density-mediated indirect interactions initiated by an exotic invasive plant autogenic ecosystem engineer

Science.gov (United States)

Dean E. Pearson

2010-01-01

Indirect interactions are important for structuring ecological systems. However, research on indirect effects has been heavily biased toward top-down trophic interactions, and less is known about other indirect-interaction pathways. As autogenic ecosystem engineers, plants can serve as initiators of nontrophic indirect interactions that, like top-down pathways, can...

Engine modeling and control modeling and electronic management of internal combustion engines

CERN Document Server

Isermann, Rolf

2014-01-01

The increasing demands for internal combustion engines with regard to fuel consumption, emissions and driveability lead to more actuators, sensors and complex control functions. A systematic implementation of the electronic control systems requires mathematical models from basic design through simulation to calibration. The book treats physically-based as well as models based experimentally on test benches for gasoline (spark ignition) and diesel (compression ignition) engines and uses them for the design of the different control functions. The main topics are: - Development steps for engine control - Stationary and dynamic experimental modeling - Physical models of intake, combustion, mechanical system, turbocharger, exhaust, cooling, lubrication, drive train - Engine control structures, hardware, software, actuators, sensors, fuel supply, injection system, camshaft - Engine control methods, static and dynamic feedforward and feedback control, calibration and optimization, HiL, RCP, control software developm...

First International Conference on Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering

CERN Document Server

Vyas, Nalinaksh; Sanei, Saeid; Deb, Kalyanmoy

2017-01-01

The book reports on advanced theories and methods in two related engineering fields: electrical and electronic engineering, and communications engineering and computing. It highlights areas of global and growing importance, such as renewable energy, power systems, mobile communications, security and the Internet of Things (IoT). The contributions cover a number of current research issues, including smart grids, photovoltaic systems, wireless power transfer, signal processing, 4G and 5G technologies, IoT applications, mobile cloud computing and many more. Based on the proceedings of the first International Conference on Emerging Trends in Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering (ELECOM 2016), held in Voila Bagatelle, Mauritius from November 25 to 27, 2016, the book provides graduate students, researchers and professionals with a snapshot of the state-of-the-art and a source of new ideas for future research and collaborations.

Imitating model of the electronic regulator frequencies of rotation of the automobile diesel engine

OpenAIRE

Тырловой, С. И.

2011-01-01

The imitating model of an frequency electronic regulator of rotation of high-speed diesel engine an automobile diesel engine with the distributive fuel pump of Bosch company is resulted. Is executed simulation transitive modes of a diesel engine with mechanic and electronic regulators. Deterioration influence plungers steams on dinamic and economic indicators of a diesel engine is analysed. Operational indicators of a diesel engine with mechanic and electronic regulators are compared. The obt...

Electronics Engineering Research. Final report, FY 1979

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weissenberger, S.

1980-01-01

Accomplishments in Electronics Engineering Research (EER) during FY79 spanned a broad range of technologies, from high-speed microelectronics to digital image enhancement; from underground probing with electromagnetic waves to detecting neutrons with a small solid-state device; and from computer systems to aid engineers, to software tools to aid programmers. This report describes the overall EER program and its objectives, summarizes progress made in FY79, and outlines plans for FY80

Palm Power Free-Piston Stirling Engine Control Electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Keiter, Douglas E.; Holliday, Ezekiel

2007-01-01

A prototype 35We, JP-8 fueled, soldier-wearable power system for the DARPA Palm Power program has been developed and tested by Sunpower. A hermetically-sealed 42We Sunpower Free-Piston Stirling Engine (FPSE) with integral linear alternator is the prime mover for this system. To maximize system efficiency over a broad range of output power, a non-dissipative, highly efficient electronic control system which modulates engine output power by varying piston stroke and converts the AC output voltage of the FPSE into 28Vdc for the Palm Power end user, has been designed and demonstrated as an integral component of the Palm Power system. This paper reviews the current status and progress made in developing the control electronics for the Palm Power system, in addition to describing the operation and demonstrated performance of the engine controller in the context of the current JP-8 fueled Palm Power system.

Using ecosystem engineers as tools in habitat restoration and rewilding: beaver and wetlands.

Science.gov (United States)

Law, Alan; Gaywood, Martin J; Jones, Kevin C; Ramsay, Paul; Willby, Nigel J

2017-12-15

Potential for habitat restoration is increasingly used as an argument for reintroducing ecosystem engineers. Beaver have well known effects on hydromorphology through dam construction, but their scope to restore wetland biodiversity in areas degraded by agriculture is largely inferred. Our study presents the first formal monitoring of a planned beaver-assisted restoration, focussing on changes in vegetation over 12years within an agriculturally-degraded fen following beaver release, based on repeated sampling of fixed plots. Effects are compared to ungrazed exclosures which allowed the wider influence of waterlogging to be separated from disturbance through tree felling and herbivory. After 12years of beaver presence mean plant species richness had increased on average by 46% per plot, whilst the cumulative number of species recorded increased on average by 148%. Heterogeneity, measured by dissimilarity of plot composition, increased on average by 71%. Plants associated with high moisture and light conditions increased significantly in coverage, whereas species indicative of high nitrogen decreased. Areas exposed to both grazing and waterlogging generally showed the most pronounced change in composition, with effects of grazing seemingly additive, but secondary, to those of waterlogging. Our study illustrates that a well-known ecosystem engineer, the beaver, can with time transform agricultural land into a comparatively species-rich and heterogeneous wetland environment, thus meeting common restoration objectives. This offers a passive but innovative solution to the problems of wetland habitat loss that complements the value of beavers for water or sediment storage and flow attenuation. The role of larger herbivores has been significantly overlooked in our understanding of freshwater ecosystem function; the use of such species may yet emerge as the missing ingredient in successful restoration. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights

Method and electronic database search engine for exposing the content of an electronic database

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stappers, P.J.

2000-01-01

The invention relates to an electronic database search engine comprising an electronic memory device suitable for storing and releasing elements from the database, a display unit, a user interface for selecting and displaying at least one element from the database on the display unit, and control

Contrasting effects of ecosystem engineering by the cordgrass Spartina maritima and the sandprawn Callianassa kraussi in a marine-dominated lagoon

Science.gov (United States)

Pillay, D.; Branch, G. M.; Dawson, J.; Henry, D.

2011-01-01

Ecosystem engineering by plants and animals significantly influences community structure and the physico-chemical characteristics of marine habitats. In this paper we document the contrasting effects of ecosystem engineering by the cordgrass Spartina maritima and the burrowing sandprawn Callianassa kraussi on physico-chemical characteristics, microflora, macrofaunal community structure and morphological attributes in the high shore intertidal sandflats of Langebaan Lagoon, a marine-dominated system on the west coast of South Africa. Comparisons were made at six sites in the lagoon within Spartina and Callianassa beds, and in a "bare zone" of sandflat between these two habitats that lacks both sandprawns and cordgrass. Sediments in Spartina habitats were consolidated by the root-shoot systems of the cordgrass, leading to low sediment penetrability, while sediments in beds of C. kraussi were more penetrable, primarily due to the destabilising effects of sandprawn bioturbation. Sediments in the "bare zone" had intermediate to low values of penetrability. Sediment organic content was lowest in bare zones and greatest in Spartina beds, while sediment chl- a levels were greatest on bare sand, but were progressively reduced in the Spartina and Callianassa beds. These differences among habitats induced by ecosystem engineering in turn affected the macrofauna. Community structure was different between all three habitats sampled, with species richness being surprisingly greater in Callianassa beds than either the bare zone or Spartina beds. In general, the binding of surface sediments by the root systems of Spartina favoured rigid-bodied, surface-dwelling and tube-building species, while the destabilising effect of bioturbation by C. kraussi favoured burrowing species. The contrasting effects of these ecosystem engineers suggest that they play important roles in increasing habitat heterogeneity. Importantly, the role of bioturbation by C. kraussi in enhancing macrofaunal

Unplanned ecological engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Ken Haste; Gislason, Henrik

2017-01-01

unexpectedly large catches by removing predators from the ecosystem. Such ecosystem engineering stands in stark contrast to reigning management paradigms that do not allow fishing down predators to increase the productivity of their prey. The theoretical support for such a feat of ecosystem engineering is well...

78 FR 37958 - Special Conditions: Cessna Aircraft Company, Model J182T; Electronic Engine Control System...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-25

...; Electronic Engine Control System Installation AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION... feature(s) associated with the installation of an electronic engine control. The applicable airworthiness...) fuel. The J182T incorporates an engine controlled by an electronic engine [[Page 37959

Morphological variation and habitat modification are strongly correlated for the autogenic ecosystem engineer Spartina anglica (common cordgrass)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Hulzen, J.B.; Van Soelen, J.; Bouma, T.J.

2007-01-01

We explored to what extent morphological variation and habitat modification are correlated for an autogenic ecosystem engineer, which is an organism that modifies its habitat via its own physical structures. The intertidal salt marsh species Spartina anglica is well known for its capacity to enhance

Electronics engineering research proposals for FY78

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cleland, L.L.; Ekstrom, M.P.; Miller, E.K.

1977-01-01

Since most of the Electronics Engineering Research expenditures are in the Engineering Research Division (ERD), the two are inseparable when discussing plans. A reorganization of ERD aimed at further expanding LLL capabilities and being more responsive to LLL needs is now complete. Six discipline related groups constitute the research elements in ERD. Three groups remained unchanged, one group was modified slightly, two groups were added, and one group was dissolved. The technical activities of each of the six research-oriented groups within ERD are reported

Elements of theoretical mechanics for electronic engineers

CERN Document Server

Bultot, Franz

1965-01-01

Elements of Theoretical Mechanics for Electronic Engineers deals with theoretical mechanics, which is considered one of the fundamental branches of instruction essential to training an engineer. This book discusses the oscillatory motions and their counterparts in electrical circuits and radio, and provides an introduction to differential operators of vector field theory. Other topics covered include systems and functions of vectors; dynamics of a free point; vibrations and waves; and statics. Worked examples and many notes on the application of most sections of the theories to electrical deve

Modification of plant-induced responses by an insect ecosystem engineer influences the colonization behaviour of subsequent shelter-users

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Uesugi, Akane; Morrell, Kimberly; Poelman, Erik H.; Raaijmakers, Ciska E.; Kessler, André

2016-01-01

* Herbivores that modify plant morphology, such as gall-forming insects, can disproportionately impact arthropod community on their host plants by providing novel habitats and shelters from biotic and abiotic stresses. These ecosystem engineers could also modify plant chemical properties, but how

Electrical, electronics, and digital hardware essentials for scientists and engineers

CERN Document Server

Lipiansky, Ed

2012-01-01

A practical guide for solving real-world circuit board problems Electrical, Electronics, and Digital Hardware Essentials for Scientists and Engineers arms engineers with the tools they need to test, evaluate, and solve circuit board problems. It explores a wide range of circuit analysis topics, supplementing the material with detailed circuit examples and extensive illustrations. The pros and cons of various methods of analysis, fundamental applications of electronic hardware, and issues in logic design are also thoroughly examined. The author draws on more than tw

XI Scientific Conference Selected Issues of Electrical Engineering and Electronics (WZEE)

CERN Document Server

Mazur, Damian; Analysis and Simulation of Electrical and Computer Systems

2015-01-01

This book presents the selected results of the XI Scientific Conference Selected Issues of Electrical Engineering and Electronics (WZEE) which was held in Rzeszów and Czarna, Poland on September 27-30, 2013. The main aim of the Conference was to provide academia and industry to discuss and present the latest technological advantages and research results and to integrate the new interdisciplinary scientific circle in the field of electrical engineering, electronics and mechatronics. The Conference was organized by the Rzeszów Division of Polish Association of Theoretical and Applied Electrical Engineering (PTETiS) in cooperation with Rzeszów University of Technology, the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Rzeszów University, the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.  

Local and latitudinal variation in abundance: the mechanisms shaping the distribution of an ecosystem engineer.

Science.gov (United States)

Crutsinger, Gregory M; Gonzalez, Angélica L; Crawford, Kerri M; Sanders, Nathan J

2013-01-01

Ecological processes that determine the abundance of species within ecological communities vary across space and time. These scale-dependent processes are especially important when they affect key members of a community, such as ecosystem engineers that create shelter and food resources for other species. Yet, few studies have examined the suite of processes that shape the abundance of ecosystem engineers. Here, we evaluated the relative influence of temporal variation, local processes, and latitude on the abundance of an engineering insect-a rosette-galling midge, Rhopalomyia solidaginis (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). Over a period of 3-5 years, we studied the density and size of galls across a suite of local experiments that manipulated genetic variation, soil nutrient availability, and the removal of other insects from the host plant, Solidago altissima (tall goldenrod). We also surveyed gall density within a single growing season across a 2,300 km latitudinal transect of goldenrod populations in the eastern United States. At the local scale, we found that host-plant genotypic variation was the best predictor of rosette gall density and size within a single year. We found that the removal of other insect herbivores resulted in an increase in gall density and size. The amendment of soil nutrients for four years had no effect on gall density, but galls were smaller in carbon-added plots compared to control and nitrogen additions. Finally, we observed that gall density varied several fold across years. At the biogeographic scale, we observed that the density of rosette gallers peaked at mid-latitudes. Using meta-analytic approaches, we found that the effect size of time, followed by host-plant genetic variation and latitude were the best predictors of gall density. Taken together, our study provides a unique comparison of multiple factors across different spatial and temporal scales that govern engineering insect herbivore density.

Integrating Ecosystem Engineering and Food Web Ecology: Testing the Effect of Biogenic Reefs on the Food Web of a Soft-Bottom Intertidal Area.

Science.gov (United States)

De Smet, Bart; Fournier, Jérôme; De Troch, Marleen; Vincx, Magda; Vanaverbeke, Jan

2015-01-01

The potential of ecosystem engineers to modify the structure and dynamics of food webs has recently been hypothesised from a conceptual point of view. Empirical data on the integration of ecosystem engineers and food webs is however largely lacking. This paper investigates the hypothesised link based on a field sampling approach of intertidal biogenic aggregations created by the ecosystem engineer Lanice conchilega (Polychaeta, Terebellidae). The aggregations are known to have a considerable impact on the physical and biogeochemical characteristics of their environment and subsequently on the abundance and biomass of primary food sources and the macrofaunal (i.e. the macro-, hyper- and epibenthos) community. Therefore, we hypothesise that L. conchilega aggregations affect the structure, stability and isotopic niche of the consumer assemblage of a soft-bottom intertidal food web. Primary food sources and the bentho-pelagic consumer assemblage of a L. conchilega aggregation and a control area were sampled on two soft-bottom intertidal areas along the French coast and analysed for their stable isotopes. Despite the structural impacts of the ecosystem engineer on the associated macrofaunal community, the presence of L. conchilega aggregations only has a minor effect on the food web structure of soft-bottom intertidal areas. The isotopic niche width of the consumer communities of the L. conchilega aggregations and control areas are highly similar, implying that consumer taxa do not shift their diet when feeding in a L. conchilega aggregation. Besides, species packing and hence trophic redundancy were not affected, pointing to an unaltered stability of the food web in the presence of L. conchilega.

New Project System for Undergraduate Electronic Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Dirk M.; Chiu, Shen Y.

2005-01-01

A new approach to projects for undergraduate electronic engineering in an Australian university has been applied successfully for over 10 years. This approach has a number of projects running over three year period. Feedback from past graduates and their managers has confirmed that these projects train the students well, giving them the ability…

Exploring the ecosystem engineering ability of Red Sea shallow benthic habitats using stocks and fluxes in carbon biogeochemistry

KAUST Repository

Baldry, Kimberlee

2017-12-01

The coastal ocean is a marginal region of the global ocean, but is home to metabolically intense ecosystems which increase the structural complexity of the benthos. These ecosystems have the ability to alter the carbon chemistry of surrounding waters through their metabolism, mainly through processes which directly release or consume carbon dioxide. In this way, coastal habitats can engineer their environment by acting as sources or sinks of carbon dioxide and altering their environmental chemistry from the regional norm. In most coastal water masses, it is difficult to resolve the ecosystem effect on coastal carbon biogeochemistry due to the mixing of multiple offshore end members, complex geography or the influence of variable freshwater inputs. The Red Sea provides a simple environment for the study of ecosystem processes at a coastal scale as it contains only one offshore end-member and negligible freshwater inputs due to the arid climate of adjacent land. This work explores the ability of three Red Sea benthic coastal habitats (coral reefs, seagrass meadows and mangrove forests) to create characteristic ecosystem end-members, which deviate from the biogeochemistry of offshore source waters. This is done by both calculating non-conservative deviations in carbonate stocks collected over each ecosystem, and by quantifying net carbonate fluxes (in seagrass meadows and mangrove forests only) using 24 hour incubations. Results illustrate that carbonate stocks over ecosystems conform to broad ecosystem trends, which are different to the offshore end-member, and are influenced by inherited properties from surrounding ecosystems. Carbonate fluxes also show ecosystem dependent trends and further illustrate the importance of sediment processes in influencing CaCO3 fluxes in blue carbon benthic habitats, which warrants further attention. These findings show the respective advantages of studying both carbonate stocks and fluxes of coastal benthic ecosystems in order to

Ecosystem engineers on plants: indirect facilitation of arthropod communities by leaf-rollers at different scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Vieira, Camila; Romero, Gustavo Q

2013-07-01

Ecosystem engineering is a process by which organisms change the distribution of resources and create new habitats for other species via non-trophic interactions. Leaf-rolling caterpillars can act as ecosystem engineers because they provide shelter to secondary users. In this study, we report the influence of leaf-rolling caterpillars on speciose tropical arthropod communities along both spatial scales (leaf-level and plant-level effects) and temporal scales (dry and rainy seasons). We predict that rolled leaves can amplify arthropod diversity at both the leaf and plant levels and that this effect is stronger in dry seasons, when arthropods are prone to desiccation. Our results show that the abundance, richness, and biomass of arthropods within several guilds increased up to 22-fold in naturally and artificially created leaf shelters relative to unaltered leaves. These effects were observed at similar magnitudes at both the leaf and plant scales. Variation in the shelter architecture (funnel, cylinders) did not influence arthropod parameters, as diversity, abundance, orbiomass, but rolled leaves had distinct species composition if compared with unaltered leaves. As expected, these arthropod parameters on the plants with rolled leaves were on average approximately twofold higher in the dry season. Empty leaf rolls and whole plants were rapidly recolonized by arthropods over time, implying a fast replacement of individuals; within 15-day intervals the rolls and plants reached a species saturation. This study is the first to examine the extended effects of engineering caterpillars as diversity amplifiers at different temporal and spatial scales. Because shelter-building caterpillars are ubiquitous organisms in tropical and temperate forests, they can be considered key structuring elements for arthropod communities on plants.

Engineering Design and Fabrication of an Ampere-Class Superconducting Photocathode Electron Gun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ben-Zvi, I.

2008-01-01

Over the past three years, Advanced Energy Systems and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) have been collaborating on the design of an Ampere- class superconducting photocathode electron gun. BNL performed the physics design of the overall system and RF cavity under prior programs. Advanced Energy Systems (AES) is currently responsible for the engineering design and fabrication of the electron gun under contract to BNL. We will report on the engineering design and fabrication status of the superconducting photocathode electron gun. The overall configuration of the cryomodule will be reviewed. The layout of the hermitic string, space frame, shielding package, and cold mass will be discussed. The engineering design of the gun cavity and removable cathode will be presented in detail and areas of technical risk will be highlighted. Finally, the fabrication sequence and fabrication status of the gun cavity will be discussed

Multiple choice questions in electronics and electrical engineering

CERN Document Server

DAVIES, T J

2013-01-01

A unique compendium of over 2000 multiple choice questions for students of electronics and electrical engineering. This book is designed for the following City and Guilds courses: 2010, 2240, 2320, 2360. It can also be used as a resource for practice questions for any vocational course.

Sessile macro-epibiotic community of solitary ascidians, ecosystem engineers in soft substrates of Potter Cove, Antarctica

OpenAIRE

Rimondino, Clara; Torre, Luciana; Sahade, Ricardo Jose; Tatian, Marcos

2016-01-01

The muddy bottoms of inner Potter Cove, King George Island (Isla 25 de Mayo), South Shetlands, Antarctica, show a high density and richness of macrobenthic species, particularly ascidians. In other areas, ascidians have been reported to play the role of ecosystem engineers, as they support a significant number of epibionts, increasing benthic diversity. In this study, a total of 21 sessile macro-epibiotic taxa present on the ascidian species Corella antarctica Sluiter, 1905, Cnemidocarpa verr...

Nitrogen cycling process rates across urban ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Reisinger, Alexander J; Groffman, Peter M; Rosi-Marshall, Emma J

2016-09-21

Nitrogen (N) pollution of freshwater, estuarine, and marine ecosystems is widespread and has numerous environmental and economic impacts. A portion of this excess N comes from urban watersheds comprised of natural and engineered ecosystems which can alter downstream N export. Studies of urban N cycling have focused on either specific ecosystems or on watershed-scale mass balances. Comparisons of specific N transformations across ecosystems are required to contextualize rates from individual studies. Here we reviewed urban N cycling in terrestrial, aquatic, and engineered ecosystems, and compared N processing in these urban ecosystem types to native reference ecosystems. We found that net N mineralization and net nitrification rates were enhanced in urban forests and riparian zones relative to reference ecosystems. Denitrification was highly variable across urban ecosystem types, but no significant differences were found between urban and reference denitrification rates. When focusing on urban streams, ammonium uptake was more rapid than nitrate uptake in urban streams. Additionally, reduction of stormwater runoff coupled with potential decreases in N concentration suggests that green infrastructure may reduce downstream N export. Despite multiple environmental stressors in urban environments, ecosystems within urban watersheds can process and transform N at rates similar to or higher than reference ecosystems. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Information Technology in project-organized electronic and computer technology engineering education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Kirsten Mølgaard; Nielsen, Jens Frederik Dalsgaard

1999-01-01

This paper describes the integration of IT in the education of electronic and computer technology engineers at Institute of Electronic Systems, Aalborg Uni-versity, Denmark. At the Institute Information Technology is an important tool in the aspects of the education as well as for communication...

IEEE [Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers] standards and nuclear software quality engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daughtrey, T.

1988-01-01

Significant new nuclear-specific software standards have recently been adopted under the sponsorship of the American Nuclear Society and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The interest of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has also been expressed through their issuance of NUREG/CR-4640. These efforts all indicate a growing awareness of the need for thorough, referenceable expressions of the way to build in and evaluate quality in nuclear software. A broader professional perspective can be seen in the growing number of software engineering standards sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society. This family of standards represents a systematic effort to capture professional consensus on quality practices throughout the software development life cycle. The only omission-the implementation phase-is treated by accepted American National Standards Institute or de facto standards for programming languages

15th International Conference on Biomedical Engineering

CERN Document Server

2014-01-01

This volume presents the proceedings of the 15th ICMBE held from 4th to 7th December 2013, Singapore. Biomedical engineering is applied in most aspects of our healthcare ecosystem. From electronic health records to diagnostic tools to therapeutic, rehabilitative and regenerative treatments, the work of biomedical engineers is evident. Biomedical engineers work at the intersection of engineering, life sciences and healthcare. The engineers would use principles from applied science including mechanical, electrical, chemical and computer engineering together with physical sciences including physics, chemistry and mathematics to apply them to biology and medicine. Applying such concepts to the human body is very much the same concepts that go into building and programming a machine. The goal is to better understand, replace or fix a target system to ultimately improve the quality of healthcare. With this understanding, the conference proceedings offer a single platform for individuals and organisations working i...

Electronic journals: Their use by teachers/researchers of engineering and social sciences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martins, Fernanda; Machado, Diana; Fernandes, Alberto; Ribeiro, Fernanda

2015-01-01

Libraries must attend the needs of their different users. Academics are usually a particular kind of users with specific needs. Universities are environments where scientific communication is essential and where electronic format of journals is becoming more and more frequently used. This way it becomes increasingly important to understand how academics from different scientific areas use the available electronic resources. The aim of this study is to better understand the existing differences among the users of electronic journals in Engineering and Social Sciences. The research undertaken was mainly focused on the study of the use of electronic journals by teachers/researchers from the Faculties of Engineering and of Arts from the University of Porto, Portugal. In this study an international survey was used in order to characterize the levels of use and access of electronic journals by these communities. The ways of seeking and using scientific information, namely in terms frequency of access, the number of articles consulted, the use of databases and the preference of publishing in electronic journals were analyzed. A set of comparisons were established and results indicate an extensive use of the electronic format, regardless the faculty. However, some differences emerge when it comes to details. Such is the case of the usage rate of reference management software which is considerably more used by Engineering academics than Social Science ones. Generally, electronic journals meeting the information needs of its users and are increasingly used as a preferred means of research. Though, some particular differences in the use of them have emerged, when comparing academics from these two faculties

Electronic journals: Their use by teachers/researchers of engineering and social sciences

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martins, Fernanda, E-mail: mmartins@letras.up.pt; Machado, Diana, E-mail: mmartins@letras.up.pt; Fernandes, Alberto, E-mail: mmartins@letras.up.pt; Ribeiro, Fernanda, E-mail: mmartins@letras.up.pt [Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto (Portugal)

2015-02-09

Libraries must attend the needs of their different users. Academics are usually a particular kind of users with specific needs. Universities are environments where scientific communication is essential and where electronic format of journals is becoming more and more frequently used. This way it becomes increasingly important to understand how academics from different scientific areas use the available electronic resources. The aim of this study is to better understand the existing differences among the users of electronic journals in Engineering and Social Sciences. The research undertaken was mainly focused on the study of the use of electronic journals by teachers/researchers from the Faculties of Engineering and of Arts from the University of Porto, Portugal. In this study an international survey was used in order to characterize the levels of use and access of electronic journals by these communities. The ways of seeking and using scientific information, namely in terms frequency of access, the number of articles consulted, the use of databases and the preference of publishing in electronic journals were analyzed. A set of comparisons were established and results indicate an extensive use of the electronic format, regardless the faculty. However, some differences emerge when it comes to details. Such is the case of the usage rate of reference management software which is considerably more used by Engineering academics than Social Science ones. Generally, electronic journals meeting the information needs of its users and are increasingly used as a preferred means of research. Though, some particular differences in the use of them have emerged, when comparing academics from these two faculties.

Enhancing gold recovery from electronic waste via lixiviant metabolic engineering in Chromobacterium violaceum

Science.gov (United States)

Tay, Song Buck; Natarajan, Gayathri; Rahim, Muhammad Nadjad bin Abdul; Tan, Hwee Tong; Chung, Maxey Ching Ming; Ting, Yen Peng; Yew, Wen Shan

2013-01-01

Conventional leaching (extraction) methods for gold recovery from electronic waste involve the use of strong acids and pose considerable threat to the environment. The alternative use of bioleaching microbes for gold recovery is non-pollutive and relies on the secretion of a lixiviant or (bio)chemical such as cyanide for extraction of gold from electronic waste. However, widespread industrial use of bioleaching microbes has been constrained by the limited cyanogenic capabilities of lixiviant-producing microorganisms such as Chromobacterium violaceum. Here we show the construction of a metabolically-engineered strain of Chromobacterium violaceum that produces more (70%) cyanide lixiviant and recovers more than twice as much gold from electronic waste compared to wild-type bacteria. Comparative proteome analyses suggested the possibility of further enhancement in cyanogenesis through subsequent metabolic engineering. Our results demonstrated the utility of lixiviant metabolic engineering in the construction of enhanced bioleaching microbes for the bioleaching of precious metals from electronic waste. PMID:23868689

Designing an Accompanying Ecosystem to Foster Entrepreneurship among Agronomic and Forestry Engineering Students. Opinion and Commitment of University Lecturers

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz-Medina, L.; Fernández-Ahumada, E.; Lara-Vélez, P.; Taguas, E. V.; Gallardo-Cobos, R.; del Campillo, M. C.; Guerrero-Ginel, J. E.

2016-01-01

In the Higher School of Agronomic and Forestry Engineering of the University of Cordoba, a collective project conceived as an 'ecosystem to support and accompany entrepreneurs' has been proposed. The approach aims to spread and consolidate the entrepreneurial spirit and to respond to the demands of possible stakeholders involved in the whole…

Will the balance of power shift among native eastern Pacific estuary ecosystem engineers with the introduced bopyrid isopod parasite orthione griffenis?

Science.gov (United States)

The blue mud shrimp, Upogebia pugettensis, the bay ghost shrimp, Neotrypaea californiensis, and eelgrass, Zostera marina are endemic ecosystem engineers that define the ecological structure and function of estuaries along the Pacific coast of the US as significantly as do marshes...

Habitat creation and biodiversity maintenance in mangrove forests: teredinid bivalves as ecosystem engineers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ian W. Hendy

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Substantial amounts of dead wood in the intertidal zone of mature mangrove forests are tunnelled by teredinid bivalves. When the tunnels are exposed, animals are able to use tunnels as refuges. In this study, the effect of teredinid tunnelling upon mangrove forest faunal diversity was investigated. Mangrove forests exposed to long emersion times had fewer teredinid tunnels in wood and wood not containing teredinid tunnels had very few species and abundance of animals. However, with a greater cross-sectional percentage surface area of teredinid tunnels, the numbers of species and abundance of animals was significantly higher. Temperatures within teredinid-attacked wood were significantly cooler compared with air temperatures, and animal abundance was greater in wood with cooler temperatures. Animals inside the tunnels within the wood may avoid desiccation by escaping the higher temperatures. Animals co-existing in teredinid tunnelled wood ranged from animals found in terrestrial ecosystems including centipedes, crickets and spiders, and animals found in subtidal marine ecosystems such as fish, octopods and polychaetes. There was also evidence of breeding within teredinid-attacked wood, as many juvenile individuals were found, and they may also benefit from the cooler wood temperatures. Teredinid tunnelled wood is a key low-tide refuge for cryptic animals, which would otherwise be exposed to fishes and birds, and higher external temperatures. This study provides evidence that teredinids are ecosystem engineers and also provides an example of a mechanism whereby mangrove forests support intertidal biodiversity and nurseries through the wood-boring activity of teredinids.

Engineered Surfaces to Control Secondary Electron Yield for Multipactor Suppression

Science.gov (United States)

2017-09-14

Air Force Institute of Technology AFIT Scholar Theses and Dissertations 9-14-2017 Engineered Surfaces to Control Secondary Electron Yield for...Multipactor Suppression James M. Sattler Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.afit.edu/etd Part of the Electrical and Electronics Commons... TECHNOLOGY Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED

Plant functional traits predict green roof ecosystem services.

Science.gov (United States)

Lundholm, Jeremy; Tran, Stephanie; Gebert, Luke

2015-02-17

Plants make important contributions to the services provided by engineered ecosystems such as green roofs. Ecologists use plant species traits as generic predictors of geographical distribution, interactions with other species, and ecosystem functioning, but this approach has been little used to optimize engineered ecosystems. Four plant species traits (height, individual leaf area, specific leaf area, and leaf dry matter content) were evaluated as predictors of ecosystem properties and services in a modular green roof system planted with 21 species. Six indicators of ecosystem services, incorporating thermal, hydrological, water quality, and carbon sequestration functions, were predicted by the four plant traits directly or indirectly via their effects on aggregate ecosystem properties, including canopy density and albedo. Species average height and specific leaf area were the most useful traits, predicting several services via effects on canopy density or growth rate. This study demonstrates that easily measured plant traits can be used to select species to optimize green roof performance across multiple key services.

Handbook of power systems engineering with power electronics applications

CERN Document Server

Hase, Yoshihide

2012-01-01

Formerly known as Handbook of Power System Engineering, this second edition provides rigorous revisions to the original treatment of systems analysis together with a substantial new four-chapter section on power electronics applications. Encompassing a whole range of equipment, phenomena, and analytical approaches, this handbook offers a complete overview of power systems and their power electronics applications, and presents a thorough examination of the fundamental principles, combining theories and technologies that are usually treated in separate specialised fields, in a single u

Integrating societal perspectives and values for improved stewardship of a coastal ecosystem engineer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven B. Scyphers

2014-09-01

of oyster decline could garner additional support for stewardship initiatives. Collectively, the societal, economic, and biophysical complexities of the northern Gulf of Mexico oyster SES illustrate the need and public support for developing more comprehensive management schemes for exploited ecosystem engineers.

Development of educational complex on electrical engineering, electronics and microcon-trollers on modeling in TINA software

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimir A. Alekhin

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The study of electrical engineering, electronics and microcontrollers in accordance with federal state educational standards requires from students the practical mastering of experimental methods for the study of electrical circuits and electronic circuits, the formation of competences and skills in the calculation of electrical circuits and electronic circuits. The modern development of information educational technologies, the widespread use of a variety of computer facilities by students in reducing teaching hours for the study of disciplines make it necessary to create new multimedia training complexes, using computer simulation of electrical circuits, electronic circuits and microcontrollers in the lecture process and in the laboratory and practical exercises. The purpose of the research was a comparative analysis of various computer simulation programs in terms of their accessibility, ease of development and efficiency of use by lecturers and students in the educational process, and the creation and testing of a training complex for the electrical engineering, electronics and microcontrollers using the selected modeling environment.The problems associated with the need to purchase licensed software were discussed and a comparative analysis of the following computer modeling programs for electrical circuits and electronic circuits was performed: NI Multisim, Micro-Cap, Proteus VSM, OrCAD, TINA. The research method included the study of these modeling and design programs, writing of teaching aids and conducting of training sessions with students. The cost of licenses for the software application in computer classes and on students’ home computers was estimated. As a result, the conclusion was confirmed about the advisability of using the free student program of computer modeling TINA-TI and the TINACloud environment from DesignSoft for the teaching of electrical engineering and electronics.The new software product TINACloud uses cloud

Case Study Application of the Biodiversity Security Index to Ranking Feasibility Studies for Ecosystem Restoration Projects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Science.gov (United States)

2016-04-01

ER D C/ EL C R- 16 -1 Ecosystem Management and Restoration Research Program Case Study Application of the Biodiversity Security Index... Biodiversity Security Index to Ranking Feasibility Studies for Ecosystem Restoration Projects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Richard A. Cole... Biodiversity Security Index (BSI) was applied to 23 project sites ranked for restoration feasibility study annual funding by the U. S. Army Corps of

Experimental realization of a Szilard engine with a single electron.

Science.gov (United States)

Koski, Jonne V; Maisi, Ville F; Pekola, Jukka P; Averin, Dmitri V

2014-09-23

The most succinct manifestation of the second law of thermodynamics is the limitation imposed by the Landauer principle on the amount of heat a Maxwell demon (MD) can convert into free energy per single bit of information obtained in a measurement. We propose and realize an electronic MD based on a single-electron box operated as a Szilard engine, where kBT ln 2 of heat is extracted from the reservoir at temperature T per one bit of created information. The information is encoded in the position of an extra electron in the box.

Computational modeling for eco engineering: Making the connections between engineering and ecology (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Bowles, C.

2013-12-01

Ecological engineering, or eco engineering, is an emerging field in the study of integrating ecology and engineering, concerned with the design, monitoring, and construction of ecosystems. According to Mitsch (1996) 'the design of sustainable ecosystems intends to integrate human society with its natural environment for the benefit of both'. Eco engineering emerged as a new idea in the early 1960s, and the concept has seen refinement since then. As a commonly practiced field of engineering it is relatively novel. Howard Odum (1963) and others first introduced it as 'utilizing natural energy sources as the predominant input to manipulate and control environmental systems'. Mtisch and Jorgensen (1989) were the first to define eco engineering, to provide eco engineering principles and conceptual eco engineering models. Later they refined the definition and increased the number of principles. They suggested that the goals of eco engineering are: a) the restoration of ecosystems that have been substantially disturbed by human activities such as environmental pollution or land disturbance, and b) the development of new sustainable ecosystems that have both human and ecological values. Here a more detailed overview of eco engineering is provided, particularly with regard to how engineers and ecologists are utilizing multi-dimensional computational models to link ecology and engineering, resulting in increasingly successful project implementation. Descriptions are provided pertaining to 1-, 2- and 3-dimensional hydrodynamic models and their use at small- and large-scale applications. A range of conceptual models that have been developed to aid the in the creation of linkages between ecology and engineering are discussed. Finally, several case studies that link ecology and engineering via computational modeling are provided. These studies include localized stream rehabilitation, spawning gravel enhancement on a large river system, and watershed-wide floodplain modeling of

Structured electron beams from nano-engineered cathodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lueangaramwong, A. [NICADD, DeKalb; Mihalcea, D. [NICADD, DeKalb; Andonian, G. [RadiaBeam Tech.; Piot, P. [Fermilab

2017-03-07

The ability to engineer cathodes at the nano-scale have open new possibilities such as enhancing quantum eciency via surface-plasmon excitation, forming ultra-low-emittance beams, or producing structured electron beams. In this paper we present numerical investigations of the beam dynamics associated to this class of cathode in the weak- and strong-field regimes.We finally discuss the possible applications of some of the achievable cathode patterns when coupled with other phase space manipulations.

The Impact of Software on Associate Degree Programs in Electronic Engineering Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Hata, David M.

1986-01-01

Assesses the range and extent of computer assisted instruction software available in electronic engineering technology education. Examines the need for software skills in four areas: (1) high-level languages; (2) assembly language; (3) computer-aided engineering; and (4) computer-aided instruction. Outlines strategies for the future in three…

Contrasting ecosystem-effects of morphologically similar copepods.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Blake Matthews

Full Text Available Organisms alter the biotic and abiotic conditions of ecosystems. They can modulate the availability of resources to other species (ecosystem engineering and shape selection pressures on other organisms (niche construction. Very little is known about how the engineering effects of organisms vary among and within species, and, as a result, the ecosystem consequences of species diversification and phenotypic evolution are poorly understood. Here, using a common gardening experiment, we test whether morphologically similar species and populations of Diaptomidae copepods (Leptodiaptomus ashlandi, Hesperodiaptomus franciscanus, Skistodiaptomus oregonensis have similar or different effects on the structure and function of freshwater ecosystems. We found that copepod species had contrasting effects on algal biomass, ammonium concentrations, and sedimentation rates, and that copepod populations had contrasting effects on prokaryote abundance, sedimentation rates, and gross primary productivity. The average size of ecosystem-effect contrasts between species was similar to those between populations, and was comparable to those between fish species and populations measured in previous common gardening experiments. Our results suggest that subtle morphological variation among and within species can cause multifarious and divergent ecosystem-effects. We conclude that using morphological trait variation to assess the functional similarity of organisms may underestimate the importance of species and population diversity for ecosystem functioning.

Ecohydrological processes and ecosystem services in the Anthropocene: a review

Science.gov (United States)

Ge Sun; Dennis Hallema; Heidi Asbjornsen

2017-01-01

The framework for ecosystem services has been increasingly used in integrated watershed ecosystem management practices that involve scientists, engineers, managers, and policy makers. The objective of this review is to explore the intimate connections between ecohydrological processes and water-related ecosystem services in human-dominated ecosystems in the...

76 FR 55293 - Special Conditions: Diamond Aircraft Industries, Model DA-40NG; Electronic Engine Control (EEC...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-07

... with an electronic engine control (EEC), also known as a Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC... engine design certification, and the certification requirements for engine control systems are driven by... aircraft supplied power and data failures on the engine control system, and the resulting effects on engine...

Niche Inheritance: A Cooperative Pathway to Enhance Cancer Cell Fitness Through Ecosystem Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Kimberline R; Mooney, Steven M; Zarif, Jelani C; Coffey, Donald S; Taichman, Russell S; Pienta, Kenneth J

2014-01-01

Cancer cells can be described as an invasive species that is able to establish itself in a new environment. The concept of niche construction can be utilized to describe the process by which cancer cells terraform their environment, thereby engineering an ecosystem that promotes the genetic fitness of the species. Ecological dispersion theory can then be utilized to describe and model the steps and barriers involved in a successful diaspora as the cancer cells leave the original host organ and migrate to new host organs to successfully establish a new metastatic community. These ecological concepts can be further utilized to define new diagnostic and therapeutic areas for lethal cancers. 115: 1478–1485, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:24700698

Habitat modification drives benthic trophic diversity in an intertidal soft-bottom ecosystem

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Zee, E.M.; Tielens, E.; Holthuijsen, S.; Donadi, S.; Eriksson, B.K.; van der Veer, H.W.; Piersma, T.; Olff, H.; van der Heide, T.

2015-01-01

In intertidal soft-bottom ecosystems, ecosystem engineers such as reef-building bivalves, can strongly affect the associated benthic community by providing structure and stabilizing the sediment. Although several engineering species have declined dramatically in the past centuries, the consequences

Tube-dwelling invertebrates: tiny ecosystem engineers have large effects in lake ecosystems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hölker, Franz; Vanni, Michael J.; Kuiper, Jan J.; Meile, Christof; Grossart, Hans-Peter; Stief, Peter; Adrian, Rita; Lorke, Andreas; Dellwig, Olaf; Brand, Andreas; Hupfer, Michael; Mooij, Wolf M.; Nützmann, Gunnar; Lewandowski, Jörg

2015-01-01

There is ample evidence that tube-dwelling invertebrates such as chironomids significantly alter multiple important ecosystem functions, particularly in shallow lakes. Chironomids pump large water volumes, and associated suspended and dissolved substances, through the sediment and thereby compete

SiGe-based re-engineering of electronic warfare subsystems

CERN Document Server

Lambrechts, Wynand

2017-01-01

This book equips readers with a thorough understanding of the applicability of new-generation silicon-germanium (SiGe) electronic subsystems for the military purposes of electronic warfare and defensive countermeasures. The theoretical and technical background is extensively explained and all aspects of the integration of SiGe as an enabling technology for maritime, land, and airborne (including space) electronic warfare are addressed, including research, design, development, and implementation. The coverage is supported by mathematical derivations, informative illustrations, practical examples, and case studies. While SiGe technology provides speed, performance, and price advantages in many markets, sharing of information on its use in electronic warfare systems has to date been limited, especially in developing nations. This book will therefore be warmly welcomed as an engineering guideline that focuses especially on the speed and reliability of current-generation SiGe circuits and highlights emerging innov...

Effects of tropical ecosystem engineers on soil quality and crop performance under different tillage and residue management

Science.gov (United States)

Pulleman, Mirjam; Paul, Birthe; Fredrick, Ayuke; Hoogmoed, Marianne; Hurisso, Tunsisa; Ndabamenye, Telesphore; Saidou, Koala; Terano, Yusuke; Six, Johan; Vanlauwe, Bernard

2014-05-01

Feeding a future global population of 9 billion will require a 70-100% increase in food production, resulting in unprecedented challenges for agriculture and natural resources, especially in Sub-saharan Africa (SSA). Agricultural practices that contribute to sustainable intensification build on beneficial biological interactions and ecosystem services. Termites are the dominant soil ecosystem engineers in arid to sub-humid tropical agro-ecosystems. Various studies have demonstrated the potential benefits of termites for rehabilitation of degraded and crusted soils and plant growth in semi-arid and arid natural ecosystems. However, the contribution of termites to agricultural productivity has hardly been experimentally investigated, and their role in Conservation Agriculture (CA) systems remains especially unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify the effects of termites and ants on soil physical quality and crop productivity under different tillage and residue management systems in the medium term. A randomized block trial was set up in sub-humid Western Kenya in 2003. Treatments included a factorial combination of residue retention and removal (+R/-R) and conventional and reduced tillage (+T/-T) under a maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glyxine max. L.) rotation. A macrofauna exclusion experiment was superimposed in 2005 as a split-plot factor (exclusion +ins; inclusion -ins) by regular applications of pesticides (Dursban and Endosulfan) in half of the plots. Macrofauna abundance and diversity, soil aggregate fractions, soil carbon contents and crop yields were measured between 2005 and 2012 at 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm soil depths. Termites were the most important macrofauna species, constituting between 48-63% of all soil biota, while ants were 13-34%, whereas earthworms were present in very low numbers. Insecticide application was effective in reducing termites (85-56% exclusion efficacy) and earthworms (87%), and less so ants (49-81%) at 0-15 cm soil depth

MODELING OF ELECTRONIC GASOLINE INJECTION PROCESSES IN TWO STROKE ENGINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hraivoronskyi, Y.

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Basic provision of the processes developed mode, occurring in ignition fuel system with electronically controlled two stroke engine with positive ignition are given. Fuel injection process’ calculation results for the case of placing fuel injector into intake system presented.

Software ecosystems – a systematic literature review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Manikas, Konstantinos; Hansen, Klaus Marius

2013-01-01

A software ecosystem is the interaction of a set of actors on top of a common technological platform that results in a number of software solutions or services. Arguably, software ecosystems are gaining importance with the advent of, e.g., the Google Android, Apache, and Salesforce.com ecosystems....... However, there exists no systematic overview of the research done on software ecosystems from a software engineering perspective. We performed a systematic literature review of software ecosystem research, analyzing 90 papers on the subject taken from a gross collection of 420. Our main conclusions...... are that while research on software ecosystems is increasing (a) there is little consensus on what constitutes a software ecosystem, (b) few analytical models of software ecosystems exist, and (c) little research is done in the context of real-world ecosystems. This work provides an overview of the field, while...

Invasion of a Legume Ecosystem Engineer in a Cold Biome Alters Plant Biodiversity

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Vanessa M. S. Vetter

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Plant ecosystem engineers are widely used to combat land degradation. However, the ability of those plants to modulate limiting abiotic and biotic resources of other species can cause damage to ecosystems in which they become invasive. Here, we use Lupinus nootkatensis as example to estimate and project the hazardous potential of nitrogen fixing herbaceous plants in a sub-polar oceanic climate. L. nootkatensis was introduced to Iceland in the 1940s to address erosion problems and foster reforestation, but subsequently became a high-latitude invader. In a local field survey, we quantified the impact of L. nootkatensis invasion at three different cover levels (0, 10–50, and 51–100% upon native plant diversity, richness, and community composition of heath-, wood-, and grasslands using a pairwise comparison design and comparisons of means. Afterward, we scaled impacts up to the ecosystem and landscape level by relating occurrences of L. nootkatensis to environmental and human-mediated variables across Iceland using a species distribution model. Plant diversity was significantly deteriorated under high lupine cover levels of the heath- and woodland, but not in the grassland. Plant species richness of the most diverse habitat, the heathland, linearly decreased with lupine cover level. The abundance of small rosettes, cushion plants, orchids, and small woody long-lived plants of the heath declined with invader presence, while the abundance of late successional species and widespread nitrophilous ruderals in wood- and grasslands increased. Distribution modeling revealed 13.3% of Iceland’s land surface area to be suitable lupine habitat. Until 2061–2080, this area will more than double and expand significantly into the Central Highlands due to human mediation and increasingly favorable climatic conditions. Species-rich habitats showed a loss of plant species diversity and richness as well as a change in community composition even in low lupine

Lyapunov-based constrained engine torque control using electronic throttle and variable cam timing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feru, E.; Lazar, M.; Gielen, R.H.; Kolmanovsky, I.V.; Di Cairano, S.

2012-01-01

In this paper, predictive control of a spark ignition engine equipped with an electronic throttle and a variable cam timing actuator is considered. The objective is to adjust the throttle angle and the engine cam timing in order to reduce the exhaust gas emissions while maintaining fast and

3rd International Conference on Ecosystem Assessment Management

CERN Document Server

Ma, Sheng-Quan; Cao, Hu-hua; Ecosystem Assessment and Fuzzy Systems Management

2014-01-01

“Ecosystem Assessment and Fuzzy Systems Management” is the edited outcome of the 3rd International Conference on Ecosystem Assessment Management (ICEAM) and the Workshop on the Construction of an Early Warning Platform for Eco-tourism (WCEWPE) in Hainan on May 5-12, 2013, Haikou, China. The 3rd ICEAM and the WCEWPE, built on the success of previous conferences, are major Symposiums for scientists, engineers and logistic management researchers presenting their the latest achievements, developments and applications in all areas of Ecosystem Assessment Management, Early Warning Platform for Eco-tourism and fuzziology. It aims to strengthen relations between industry research laboratories and universities, and to create a primary symposium for world scientists. The book, containing 47 papers, is divided into five parts: “Ecosystem Assessment, Management and Information”; “Intelligent Algorithm, Fuzzy Optimization and Engineering Application”; “Spatial Data Analysis and Intelligent Information Proces...

Validation of a zero-dimensional model for prediction of NOx and engine performance for electronically controlled marine two-stroke diesel engines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scappin, Fabio; Stefansson, Sigurður H.; Haglind, Fredrik

2012-01-01

The aim of this paper is to derive a methodology suitable for energy system analysis for predicting the performance and NOx emissions of marine low speed diesel engines. The paper describes a zero-dimensional model, evaluating the engine performance by means of an energy balance and a two zone...... experimental data from two MAN B&W engines; one case being data subject to engine parameter changes corresponding to simulating an electronically controlled engine; the second case providing data covering almost all model input and output parameters. The first case of validation suggests that the model can...

Enhanced identification of eligibility for depression research using an electronic medical record search engine.

Science.gov (United States)

Seyfried, Lisa; Hanauer, David A; Nease, Donald; Albeiruti, Rashad; Kavanagh, Janet; Kales, Helen C

2009-12-01

Electronic medical records (EMRs) have become part of daily practice for many physicians. Attempts have been made to apply electronic search engine technology to speed EMR review. This was a prospective, observational study to compare the speed and clinical accuracy of a medical record search engine vs. manual review of the EMR. Three raters reviewed 49 cases in the EMR to screen for eligibility in a depression study using the electronic medical record search engine (EMERSE). One week later raters received a scrambled set of the same patients including 9 distractor cases, and used manual EMR review to determine eligibility. For both methods, accuracy was assessed for the original 49 cases by comparison with a gold standard rater. Use of EMERSE resulted in considerable time savings; chart reviews using EMERSE were significantly faster than traditional manual review (p=0.03). The percent agreement of raters with the gold standard (e.g. concurrent validity) using either EMERSE or manual review was not significantly different. Using a search engine optimized for finding clinical information in the free-text sections of the EMR can provide significant time savings while preserving clinical accuracy. The major power of this search engine is not from a more advanced and sophisticated search algorithm, but rather from a user interface designed explicitly to help users search the entire medical record in a way that protects health information.

Empirical Comparison of Graph-based Recommendation Engines for an Apps Ecosystem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis F. Chiroque

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Recommendation engines (RE are becoming highly popular, e.g., in the area of e-commerce. A RE offers new items (products or content to users based on their profile and historical data. The most popular algorithms used in RE are based on collaborative filtering. This technique makes recommendations based on the past behavior of other users and the similarity between users and items. In this paper we have evaluated the performance of several RE based on the properties of the networks formed by users and items. The RE use in a novel way graph theoretic concepts like edges weights or network flow. The evaluation has been conducted in a real environment (ecosystem for recommending apps to smartphone users. The analysis of the results allows concluding that the effectiveness of a RE can be improved if the age of the data, and if a global view of the data is considered. It also shows that graph-based RE are effective, but more experiments are required for a more accurate characterization of their properties.

Mitochondrial Phylogenomics Resolves the Global Spread of Higher Termites, Ecosystem Engineers of the Tropics.

Science.gov (United States)

Bourguignon, Thomas; Lo, Nathan; Šobotník, Jan; Ho, Simon Y W; Iqbal, Naeem; Coissac, Eric; Lee, Maria; Jendryka, Martin M; Sillam-Dussès, David; Krížková, Barbora; Roisin, Yves; Evans, Theodore A

2017-03-01

The higher termites (Termitidae) are keystone species and ecosystem engineers. They have exceptional biomass and play important roles in decomposition of dead plant matter, in soil manipulation, and as the primary food for many animals, especially in the tropics. Higher termites are most diverse in rainforests, with estimated origins in the late Eocene (∼54 Ma), postdating the breakup of Pangaea and Gondwana when most continents became separated. Since termites are poor fliers, their origin and spread across the globe requires alternative explanation. Here, we show that higher termites originated 42-54 Ma in Africa and subsequently underwent at least 24 dispersal events between the continents in two main periods. Using phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial genomes from 415 species, including all higher termite taxonomic and feeding groups, we inferred 10 dispersal events to South America and Asia 35-23 Ma, coinciding with the sharp decrease in global temperature, sea level, and rainforest cover in the Oligocene. After global temperatures increased, 23-5 Ma, there was only one more dispersal to South America but 11 to Asia and Australia, and one dispersal back to Africa. Most of these dispersal events were transoceanic and might have occurred via floating logs. The spread of higher termites across oceans was helped by the novel ecological opportunities brought about by environmental and ecosystem change, and led termites to become one of the few insect groups with specialized mammal predators. This has parallels with modern invasive species that have been able to thrive in human-impacted ecosystems. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Hemigrapsus sanguineus in Long Island salt marshes: experimental evaluation of the interactions between an invasive crab and resident ecosystem engineers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bradley J. Peterson

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The invasive Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus, has recently been observed occupying salt marshes, a novel environment for this crab species. As it invades this new habitat, it is likely to interact with a number of important salt marsh species. To understand the potential effects of H. sanguineus on this ecosystem, interactions between this invasive crab and important salt marsh ecosystem engineers were examined. Laboratory experiments demonstrated competition for burrows between H. sanguineus and the native fiddler crab, Uca pugilator. Results indicate that H. sanguineus is able to displace an established fiddler crab from its burrow. Feeding experiments revealed that the presence of H. sanguineus has a significantly negative impact on the number as well as the biomass of ribbed mussels (Geukensia demissa consumed by the green crab, Carcinus maenas, although this only occurred at high predator densities. In addition, when both crabs foraged together, there was a significant shift in the size of mussels consumed. These interactions suggests that H. sanguineus may have long-term impacts and wide-ranging negative effects on the saltmarsh ecosystem.

Hemigrapsus sanguineus in Long Island salt marshes: experimental evaluation of the interactions between an invasive crab and resident ecosystem engineers.

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Bradley J; Fournier, Alexa M; Furman, Bradley T; Carroll, John M

2014-01-01

The invasive Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus, has recently been observed occupying salt marshes, a novel environment for this crab species. As it invades this new habitat, it is likely to interact with a number of important salt marsh species. To understand the potential effects of H. sanguineus on this ecosystem, interactions between this invasive crab and important salt marsh ecosystem engineers were examined. Laboratory experiments demonstrated competition for burrows between H. sanguineus and the native fiddler crab, Uca pugilator. Results indicate that H. sanguineus is able to displace an established fiddler crab from its burrow. Feeding experiments revealed that the presence of H. sanguineus has a significantly negative impact on the number as well as the biomass of ribbed mussels (Geukensia demissa) consumed by the green crab, Carcinus maenas, although this only occurred at high predator densities. In addition, when both crabs foraged together, there was a significant shift in the size of mussels consumed. These interactions suggests that H. sanguineus may have long-term impacts and wide-ranging negative effects on the saltmarsh ecosystem.

Engineered hybrid cardiac patches with multifunctional electronics for online monitoring and regulation of tissue function

Science.gov (United States)

Feiner, Ron; Engel, Leeya; Fleischer, Sharon; Malki, Maayan; Gal, Idan; Shapira, Assaf; Shacham-Diamand, Yosi; Dvir, Tal

2016-06-01

In cardiac tissue engineering approaches to treat myocardial infarction, cardiac cells are seeded within three-dimensional porous scaffolds to create functional cardiac patches. However, current cardiac patches do not allow for online monitoring and reporting of engineered-tissue performance, and do not interfere to deliver signals for patch activation or to enable its integration with the host. Here, we report an engineered cardiac patch that integrates cardiac cells with flexible, freestanding electronics and a 3D nanocomposite scaffold. The patch exhibited robust electronic properties, enabling the recording of cellular electrical activities and the on-demand provision of electrical stimulation for synchronizing cell contraction. We also show that electroactive polymers containing biological factors can be deposited on designated electrodes to release drugs in the patch microenvironment on demand. We expect that the integration of complex electronics within cardiac patches will eventually provide therapeutic control and regulation of cardiac function.

Engineered hybrid cardiac patches with multifunctional electronics for online monitoring and regulation of tissue function

Science.gov (United States)

Feiner, Ron; Engel, Leeya; Fleischer, Sharon; Malki, Maayan; Gal, Idan; Shapira, Assaf; Shacham-Diamand, Yosi; Dvir, Tal

2016-01-01

In cardiac tissue engineering approaches to treat myocardial infarction, cardiac cells are seeded within three-dimensional porous scaffolds to create functional cardiac patches. However, current cardiac patches do not allow for online monitoring and reporting of engineered-tissue performance, and do not interfere to deliver signals for patch activation or to enable its integration with the host. Here, we report an engineered cardiac patch that integrates cardiac cells with flexible, free-standing electronics and a 3D nanocomposite scaffold. The patch exhibited robust electronic properties, enabling the recording of cellular electrical activities and the on-demand provision of electrical stimulation for synchronizing cell contraction. We also show that electroactive polymers containing biological factors can be deposited on designated electrodes to release drugs in the patch microenvironment on-demand. We expect that the integration of complex electronics within cardiac patches will eventually provide therapeutic control and regulation of cardiac function. PMID:26974408

Engineers’ Responsibilities for Global Electronic Waste: Exploring Engineering Student Writing Through a Care Ethics Lens

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Ryan C.; Wilson, Denise

2016-01-01

This paper provides an empirically informed perspective on the notion of responsibility using an ethical framework that has received little attention in the engineering-related literature to date: ethics of care. In this work, we ground conceptual explorations of engineering responsibility in empirical findings from engineering student’s writing on the human health and environmental impacts of “backyard” electronic waste recycling/disposal. Our findings, from a purposefully diverse sample of engineering students in an introductory electrical engineering course, indicate that most of these engineers of tomorrow associated engineers with responsibility for the electronic waste (e-waste) problem in some way. However, a number of responses suggested attempts to deflect responsibility away from engineers towards, for example, the government or the companies for whom engineers work. Still other students associated both engineers and non-engineers with responsibility, demonstrating the distributed/collective nature of responsibility that will be required to achieve a solution to the global problem of excessive e-waste. Building upon one element of a framework for care ethics adopted from the wider literature, these empirical findings are used to facilitate a preliminary, conceptual exploration of care-ethical responsibility within the context of engineering and e-waste recycling/disposal. The objective of this exploration is to provide a first step toward understanding how care-ethical responsibility applies to engineering. We also hope to seed dialogue within the engineering community about its ethical responsibilities on the issue. We conclude the paper with a discussion of its implications for engineering education and engineering ethics that suggests changes for educational policy and the practice of engineering. PMID:27368195

An ecosystem-based approach to assess the status of a Mediterranean ecosystem, the Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadow.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sébastien Personnic

Full Text Available Biotic indices, which reflect the quality of the environment, are widely used in the marine realm. Sometimes, key species or ecosystem engineers are selected for this purpose. This is the case of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica, widely used as a biological quality element in the context of the European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD. The good quality of a water body and the apparent health of a species, whether or not an ecosystem engineer such as P. oceanica, is not always indicative of the good structure and functioning of the whole ecosystem. A key point of the recent Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD is the ecosystem-based approach. Here, on the basis of a simplified conceptual model of the P. oceanica ecosystem, we have proposed an ecosystem-based index of the quality of its functioning, compliant with the MSFD requirements. This index (EBQI is based upon a set of representative functional compartments, the weighting of these compartments and the assessment of the quality of each compartment by comparison of a supposed baseline. The index well discriminated 17 sites in the north-western Mediterranean (French Riviera, Provence, Corsica, Catalonia and Balearic Islands covering a wide range of human pressure levels. The strong points of the EBQI are that it is easy to implement, non-destructive, relatively robust, according to the selection of the compartments and to their weighting, and associated with confidence indices that indicate possible weakness and biases and therefore the need for further field data acquisition.

Engineered ecosystem for on-site wastewater treatment in tropical areas.

Science.gov (United States)

de Sá Salomão, André Luis; Marques, Marcia; Severo, Raul Gonçalves; da Cruz Roque, Odir Clécio

2012-01-01

There is a worldwide demand for decentralized wastewater treatment options. An on-site engineered ecosystem (EE) treatment plant was designed with a multistage approach for small wastewater generators in tropical areas. The array of treatment units included a septic tank, a submersed aerated filter, and a secondary decanter followed by three vegetated tanks containing aquatic macrophytes intercalated with one tank of algae. During 11 months of operation with a flow rate of 52 L h(-1), the system removed on average 93.2% and 92.9% of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and volatile suspended solids (VSS) reaching final concentrations of 36.3 ± 12.7 and 13.7 ± 4.2 mg L(-1), respectively. Regarding ammonia-N (NH(4)-N) and total phosphorus (TP), the system removed on average 69.8% and 54.5% with final concentrations of 18.8 ± 9.3 and 14.0 ± 2.5 mg L(-1), respectively. The tanks with algae and macrophytes together contributed to the overall nutrient removal with 33.6% for NH(4)-N and 26.4% for TP. The final concentrations for all parameters except TP met the discharge threshold limits established by Brazilian and EU legislation. The EE was considered appropriate for the purpose for which it was created.

Mobile Innovations in the Education Ecosystem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul Kim

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This paper shares macro-level perspectives drawn from business and engineering on the widespread efforts to bring innovation to education ecosystems. Significant shifts are occurring in the education marketplace: from content delivery technologies to video capturing and processing technologies. The changes involve a combination of large corporations and small innovative start-ups, for example, there is increased emphasis on engineering approaches to the integration of pedagogy and learning analytics into online education systems, more marketplace-based companies are surfacing, and global edupreneurs are building an array of skill-based training and workforce ecosystems. In short, it is highly predictable that the ways people acquire knowledge and learn new skills, evaluate competencies, and secure jobs will change drastically in the future.

Metal particle emissions in the exhaust stream of diesel engines: an electron microscope study.

Science.gov (United States)

Liati, Anthi; Schreiber, Daniel; Dimopoulos Eggenschwiler, Panayotis; Arroyo Rojas Dasilva, Yadira

2013-12-17

Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were applied to investigate the morphology, mode of occurrence and chemical composition of metal particles (diesel ash) in the exhaust stream of a small truck outfitted with a typical after-treatment system (a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and a downstream diesel particulate filter (DPF)). Ash consists of Ca-Zn-P-Mg-S-Na-Al-K-phases (lube-oil related), Fe, Cr, Ni, Sn, Pb, Sn (engine wear), and Pd (DOC coating). Soot agglomerates of variable sizes (1-5 μm, exceptionally 13 μm), rarely engine wear and escape into the atmosphere.

Backup control airstart performance on a digital electronic engine control-equipped F100-engine

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, J. B.

1984-01-01

The air start capability of a backup control (BUC) was tested for a digital electronic engine control (DEEC) equipped F100 engine, which was installed in an F-15 aircraft. Two air start schedules were tested. Using the group 1 start schedule, based on a 40 sec timer, an air speed of 300 knots was required to ensure successful 40 and 25% BUC mode spooldown airstarts. If core rotor speed (N2) was less than 40% a stall would occur when the start bleed closed, 40 sec after initiation of the air start. All jet fuel starter (JFS) assisted air starts were successful with the group 1 start schedule. For the group 2 schedule, the time between pressurization and start bleed closure ranged between 50 sec and 72 sec. Idle rps was lower than the desired 65% for air starts at higher altitudes and lower air speeds.

Engineered hybrid cardiac patches with multifunctional electronics for online monitoring and regulation of tissue function.

Science.gov (United States)

Feiner, Ron; Engel, Leeya; Fleischer, Sharon; Malki, Maayan; Gal, Idan; Shapira, Assaf; Shacham-Diamand, Yosi; Dvir, Tal

2016-06-01

In cardiac tissue engineering approaches to treat myocardial infarction, cardiac cells are seeded within three-dimensional porous scaffolds to create functional cardiac patches. However, current cardiac patches do not allow for online monitoring and reporting of engineered-tissue performance, and do not interfere to deliver signals for patch activation or to enable its integration with the host. Here, we report an engineered cardiac patch that integrates cardiac cells with flexible, freestanding electronics and a 3D nanocomposite scaffold. The patch exhibited robust electronic properties, enabling the recording of cellular electrical activities and the on-demand provision of electrical stimulation for synchronizing cell contraction. We also show that electroactive polymers containing biological factors can be deposited on designated electrodes to release drugs in the patch microenvironment on demand. We expect that the integration of complex electronics within cardiac patches will eventually provide therapeutic control and regulation of cardiac function.

Animal ecosystem engineers modulate the diversity-invasibility relationship.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nico Eisenhauer

Full Text Available Invasions of natural communities by non-indigenous species are currently rated as one of the most important global-scale threats to biodiversity. Biodiversity itself is known to reduce invasions and increase stability. Disturbances by ecosystem engineers affect the distribution, establishment, and abundance of species but this has been ignored in studies on diversity-invasibility relationships.We determined natural plant invasion into 46 plots varying in the number of plant species (1, 4, and 16 and plant functional groups (1, 2, 3, and 4 for three years beginning two years after the establishment of the Jena Experiment. We sampled subplots where earthworms were artificially added and others where earthworm abundance was reduced. We also performed a seed-dummy experiment to investigate the role of earthworms as secondary seed dispersers along a plant diversity gradient. Horizontal dispersal and burial of seed dummies were significantly reduced in subplots where earthworms were reduced in abundance. Seed dispersal by earthworms decreased with increasing plant species richness and presence of grasses but increased in presence of small herbs. These results suggest that dense vegetation inhibits the surface activity of earthworms. Further, there was a positive relationship between the number of earthworms and the number and diversity of invasive plants. Hence, earthworms decreased the stability of grassland communities against plant invasion.Invasibility decreased and stability increased with increasing plant diversity and, most remarkably, earthworms modulated the diversity-invasibility relationship. While the impacts of earthworms were unimportant in low diverse (low earthworm densities and high diverse (high floral structural complexity plant communities, earthworms decreased the stability of intermediate diverse plant communities against plant invasion. Overall, the results document that fundamental processes in plant communities like plant seed

A Multidisciplinary PBL Robot Control Project in Automation and Electronic Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Hassan, Houcine; Domínguez, Carlos; Martínez, Juan-Miguel; Perles, Angel; Capella, Juan-Vicente; Albaladejo, José

2015-01-01

This paper presents a multidisciplinary problem-based learning (PBL) project consisting of the development of a robot arm prototype and the implementation of its control system. The project is carried out as part of Industrial Informatics (II), a compulsory third-year course in the Automation and Electronic Engineering (AEE) degree program at the…

Designing an accompanying ecosystem for entrepreneurship students of agronomic and forestry engineering. Opinion and commitment of the faculty

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, Leovigilda; Fernández-Ahumada, Elvira; Lara-Vélez, Pablo; Taguas, Encarnación V.; Gallardo-Cobos, Rosa; Campillo, M. Carmen; Guerrero-Ginel, José E.

2014-05-01

The current context has called attention to the need of training engineers with new skills beyond the purely technical. Among others, fostering the entrepreneurial spirit has gained special prominence. In the Higher School of Agronomic and Forestry Engineering of the University of Cordoba, a 12-year-experience of an entrepreneurship program for undergraduate students concluded that, for an adequate consolidation and evolution of the program, is important to establish a robust network with active participation of all actors involved. With this antecedent, a collective project conceived as an "ecosystem of support and accompaniment for entrepreneurs" is the approach proposed. The objective is to perform an evaluation of this model in terms of viability, usefulness, actions to be taken and degree of commitment. The key actors identified (undergraduate students, faculty, alumni, local and regional entrepreneurs, enterprises, public administration) have been involved in the evaluation process. This study focuses on the academic staff. For that aim, a survey to the entire faculty (N=128, response rate = 45%) and semi-structured interviews to 20 members have been performed. Data have been treated by means of univariate and multivariate analysis. Results suggest that there exists an agreement concerning the appropriateness of a collective project; there is a critical mass of teachers willing to be engaged; guidelines need to be incorporated in order to facilitate taking on tasks; main restrictions concern the existing asymmetry between formal requirements and those necessary for establishing the ecosystem. ACKNOWLEDGMENT: This research work has been developed in the framework of the ALFA III programme financed by the European Union.

Implementation of Microelectronics Track in Electronics Engineering in a Philippines State University

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Gil B. Barte

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The evolving trends in electronics continuous to attract students to take upElectronics Engineering.However, it also adds to discipline implementation complexities.Institutions of Higher Learning offering this program must adapt to this realities to avoid obsolescence. This paper looked at Batangas State University, in the Philippines,ongoingimplementation of the Microelectronics track under the Electronics Engineering (ECEProgram. It describes the restructuring done to the ECE curriculum to overcome the enormous complexity inherent in microelectronics design and the teaching pedagogy adopted to promote active learning. The ongoing program has produced encouraging outcomes:1students were able to design, and simulate complex gate CMOS circuits using EDA tools, in the four(4 course electives identified for the track; 2 the culture of independent learning among students improvement in students soft skills, communication skills, time-management and teamwork skill,; 3. useof free and web-based tools overcome the issue of high cost of license for EDA tools and seminar/training for continuous upgrading of faculty. Another encouraging outcome was the acceptance of the student-centered teaching approach used, Problem-Based Learning (PBL,in enhancing the students learning experience.

Stimulation of microbial nitrogen cycling in aquatic ecosystems by benthic macrofauna: mechanisms and environmental implications

Science.gov (United States)

Stief, P.

2013-12-01

Invertebrate animals that live at the bottom of aquatic ecosystems (i.e., benthic macrofauna) are important mediators between nutrients in the water column and microbes in the benthos. The presence of benthic macrofauna stimulates microbial nutrient dynamics through different types of animal-microbe interactions, which potentially affect the trophic status of aquatic ecosystems. This review contrasts three types of animal-microbe interactions in the benthos of aquatic ecosystems: (i) ecosystem engineering, (ii) grazing, and (iii) symbiosis. Their specific contributions to the turnover of fixed nitrogen (mainly nitrate and ammonium) and the emission of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide are evaluated. Published data indicate that ecosystem engineering by sediment-burrowing macrofauna stimulates benthic nitrification and denitrification, which together allows fixed nitrogen removal. However, the release of ammonium from sediments is enhanced more strongly than the sedimentary uptake of nitrate. Ecosystem engineering by reef-building macrofauna increases nitrogen retention and ammonium concentrations in shallow aquatic ecosystems, but allows organic nitrogen removal through harvesting. Grazing by macrofauna on benthic microbes apparently has small or neutral effects on nitrogen cycling. Animal-microbe symbioses provide abundant and distinct benthic compartments for a multitude of nitrogen-cycle pathways. Recent studies reveal that ecosystem engineering, grazing, and symbioses of benthic macrofauna significantly enhance nitrous oxide emission from shallow aquatic ecosystems. The beneficial effect of benthic macrofauna on fixed nitrogen removal through coupled nitrification-denitrification can thus be offset by the concurrent release of (i) ammonium that stimulates aquatic primary production and (ii) nitrous oxide that contributes to global warming. Overall, benthic macrofauna intensifies the coupling between benthos, pelagial, and atmosphere through enhanced turnover and

Fuelling regulation with Electronic fuel injection for small spark ignition engine using Fuzzy Logic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, S.R.; Sahir, M.H.

2004-01-01

The use of Electronic Control systems in automotive applications gives the design engineer greater control over various processes compared with mechanical methods Examples of such electronic control systems are Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI), Traction Control Systems (TCS) and Anti-lock Braking Systems (ABS). In addition, the development of inexpensive and fast microcontrollers has remarkably improve, performance of passive and active safety systems of automobiles, without causing excessive increase in prices of vehicles -a favourable factor from the consumer's perspective. This paper deals with a possible electronic aid for the improvement of power control in a motorcycle. Controlling the speed and power of a motorcycle is difficult; especially on bumpy and uneven terrain. In this paper, the development of an EPI system is discussed, incorporating artificial intelligence to regulate the fuel supplied to the engine. It would minimize wheel slippage and jerky and sudden acceleration which potentially dangerous. It would also reduce production of large quantities of pollutant like hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. Fuel consumption would also improve during stop-and-go traffic. (author)

Speed Control of General Purpose Engine with Electronic Governor

Science.gov (United States)

Sawut, Umerujan; Tohti, Gheyret; Takigawa, Buso; Tsuji, Teruo

This paper presents a general purpose engine speed control system with an electronic governor in order to improve the current system with a mechanical governor which shows unstable characteristics by change of mecanical friction or A/F ratio (Air/Fuel ratio). For the control system above, there are problems that the feedback signal is only a crank angle because of cost and the controlled object is a general purpose engine which is strongly nonlinear. In order to overcome these problems, the system model is shown for the dynamic estimation of the amount of air flow and the robust controller is designed. That is, the proposed system includes the robust sliding-mode controller by the feedback signal of only a crank angle where Genetic Algorithm is applied for the controller design. The simulation and the experiments by MATLAB/Simulink are performed to show the effectiveness of our proposal.

Designing a Prototype LPG Injection Electronic Control Unit for a Carburetted Gasoline Engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barış ERKUŞ

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In this study, the originally carburetted gasoline engine was converted to gas-phase liquefied petroleum gas (LPG injection engine by using an after market LPG conversion kit's components except the electronic control unit (ECU. Instead of after market LPG injection ECU, the ECU which was designed considering the effects of  electromagnetic interference (EMI, was used for controlling injection. The designed ECU was tested in terms of EMI while the engine was being run and it was detected that the EMI noises could be suppressed as possible by taken measures. Designed ECU was used in performance tests at different engine conditions and the results obtained with LPG injection were compared with the results obtained with LPG carburetion. According to the performance test results, LPG injection ECU designed in this study could help to achieve low exhaust emissions and high engine performance.  

A review of earthworm impact on soil function and ecosystem services

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blouin, M.; Hodson, M.E.; Delgado, E.A.; Baker, G.; Brussaard, L.; Butt, K.R.; Dai, J.; Dendooven, L.; Peres, G.; Tondoh, J.E.; Cluzeau, D.; Brun, J.J.

2013-01-01

Biodiversity is responsible for the provision of many ecosystem services; human well-being is based on these services, and consequently on biodiversity. In soil, earthworms represent the largest component of the animal biomass and are commonly termed ecosystem engineers'. This review considers the

Plastics disassembly versus bulk recycling: engineering design for end-of-life electronics resource recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Rios, Pedro; Stuart, Julie Ann; Grant, Ed

2003-12-01

Annual plastic flows through the business and consumer electronics manufacturing supply chain include nearly 3 billion lb of high-value engineering plastics derived from petroleum. The recovery of resource value from this stream presents critical challenges in areas of materials identification and recycling process design that demand new green engineering technologies applied together with life cycle assessment and ecological supply chain analysis to create viable plastics-to-plastics supply cycles. The sustainable recovery of potentially high-value engineering plastics streams requires that recyclers either avoid mixing plastic parts or purify later by separating smaller plastic pieces created in volume reduction (shredding) steps. Identification and separation constitute significant barriers in the plastics-to-plastics recycling value proposition. In the present work, we develop a model that accepts randomly arriving electronic products to study scenarios by which a recycler might identify and separate high-value engineering plastics as well as metals. Using discrete eventsimulation,we compare current mixed plastics recovery with spectrochemical plastic resin identification and subsequent sorting. Our results show that limited disassembly with whole-part identification can produce substantial yields in separated streams of recovered engineering thermoplastics. We find that disassembly with identification does not constitute a bottleneck, but rather, with relatively few workers, can be configured to pull the process and thus decrease maximum staging space requirements.

An investigation of the performance of an electronic in-line pump system for diesel engines

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Li-Yun; Zhu, Yuan-Xian; Long, Wu-Qiang; Ma, Xiu-Zhen; Xue, Ying-Ying

2008-12-01

WIT Electronic Fuel System Co., Ltd. has developed a new fuel injector, the Electronic In-line Pump (EIP) system, designed to meet China’s diesel engine emission and fuel economy regulations. It can be used on marine diesel engines and commercial vehicle engines through different EIP systems. A numerical model of the EIP system was built in the AMESim environment for the purpose of creating a design tool for engine application and system optimization. The model was used to predict key injection characteristics under different operating conditions, such as injection pressure, injection rate, and injection duration. To validate these predictions, experimental tests were conducted under the conditions that were modeled. The results were quite encouraging and in agreement with model predictions. Additional experiments were conducted to study the injection characteristics of the EIP system. These results show that injection pressure and injection quantity are insensitive to injection timing variations, this is due to the design of the constant velocity cam profile. Finally, injection quantity and pressure vs. pulse width at different cam speeds are presented, an important injection characteristic for EIP system calibration.

Engineering in-plane silicon nanowire springs for highly stretchable electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Zhaoguo; Dong, Taige; Zhu, Zhimin; Zhao, Yaolong; Sun, Ying; Yu, Linwei

2018-01-01

Crystalline silicon (c-Si) is unambiguously the most important semiconductor that underpins the development of modern microelectronics and optoelectronics, though the rigid and brittle nature of bulk c-Si makes it difficult to implement directly for stretchable applications. Fortunately, the one-dimensional (1D) geometry, or the line-shape, of Si nanowire (SiNW) can be engineered into elastic springs, which indicates an exciting opportunity to fabricate highly stretchable 1D c-Si channels. The implementation of such line-shape-engineering strategy demands both a tiny diameter of the SiNWs, in order to accommodate the strains under large stretching, and a precise growth location, orientation and path control to facilitate device integration. In this review, we will first introduce the recent progresses of an in-plane self-assembly growth of SiNW springs, via a new in-plane solid-liquid-solid (IPSLS) mechanism, where mono-like but elastic SiNW springs are produced by surface-running metal droplets that absorb amorphous Si thin film as precursor. Then, the critical growth control and engineering parameters, the mechanical properties of the SiNW springs and the prospects of developing c-Si based stretchable electronics, will be addressed. This efficient line-shape-engineering strategy of SiNW springs, accomplished via a low temperature batch-manufacturing, holds a strong promise to extend the legend of modern Si technology into the emerging stretchable electronic applications, where the high carrier mobility, excellent stability and established doping and passivation controls of c-Si can be well inherited. Project supported by the National Basic Research 973 Program (No. 2014CB921101), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61674075), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2017YFA0205003), the Jiangsu Excellent Young Scholar Program (No. BK20160020), the Scientific and Technological Support Program in Jiangsu Province (No. BE

Teaching Sustainable Energy and Power Electronics to Engineering Students in a Laboratory Environment Using Industry-Standard Tools

Science.gov (United States)

Ochs, David S.; Miller, Ruth Douglas

2015-01-01

Power electronics and renewable energy are two important topics for today's power engineering students. In many cases, the two topics are inextricably intertwined. As the renewable energy sector grows, the need for engineers qualified to design such systems grows as well. In order to train such engineers, new courses are needed that highlight the…

Nanoscale Engineering in VO2 Nanowires via Direct Electron Writing Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhenhua; Guo, Hua; Ding, Wenqiang; Zhang, Bin; Lu, Yue; Ke, Xiaoxing; Liu, Weiwei; Chen, Furong; Sui, Manling

2017-02-08

Controlling phase transition in functional materials at nanoscale is not only of broad scientific interest but also important for practical applications in the fields of renewable energy, information storage, transducer, sensor, and so forth. As a model functional material, vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) has its metal-insulator transition (MIT) usually at a sharp temperature around 68 °C. Here, we report a focused electron beam can directly lower down the transition temperature of a nanoarea to room temperature without prepatterning the VO 2 . This novel process is called radiolysis-assisted MIT (R-MIT). The electron beam irradiation fabricates a unique gradual MIT zone to several times of the beam size in which the temperature-dependent phase transition is achieved in an extended temperature range. The gradual transformation zone offers to precisely control the ratio of metal/insulator phases. This direct electron writing technique can open up an opportunity to precisely engineer nanodomains of diversified electronic properties in functional material-based devices.

Climate change impacts on potential recruitment in an ecosystem engineer.

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, Emer; O' Riordan, Ruth M; Culloty, Sarah C

2013-03-01

Climate variability and the rapid warming of seas undoubtedly have huge ramifications for biological processes such as reproduction. As such, gametogenesis and spawning were investigated at two sites over 200 km apart on the south coast of Ireland in an ecosystem engineer, the common cockle, Cerastoderma edule. Both sites are classed as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), but are of different water quality. Cerastoderma edule plays a significant biological role by recycling nutrients and affecting sediment structure, with impacts upon assemblage biomass and functional diversity. It plays a key role in food webs, being a common foodstuff for a number of marine birds including the oystercatcher. Both before and during the study (early 2010-mid 2011), Ireland experienced its two coldest winters for 50 years. As the research demonstrated only slight variation in the spawning period between sites, despite site differences in water and environmental quality, temperature and variable climatic conditions were the dominant factor controlling gametogenesis. The most significant finding was that the spawning period in the cockle extended over a greater number of months compared with previous studies and that gametogenesis commenced over winter rather than in spring. Extremely cold winters may impact on the cockle by accelerating and extending the onset and development of gametogenesis. Whether this impact is positive or negative would depend on the associated events occurring on which the cockle depends, that is, presence of primary producers and spring blooms, which would facilitate conversion of this extended gametogenesis into successful recruitment.

Electronic digital computers their use in science and engineering

CERN Document Server

Alt, Franz L

1958-01-01

Electronic Digital Computers: Their Use in Science and Engineering describes the principles underlying computer design and operation. This book describes the various applications of computers, the stages involved in using them, and their limitations. The machine is composed of the hardware which is run by a program. This text describes the use of magnetic drum for storage of data and some computing. The functions and components of the computer include automatic control, memory, input of instructions by using punched cards, and output from resulting information. Computers operate by using numbe

Integrating Sustainability in a PBL Environment for Electronics Engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arsat, Mahyuddin; Holgaard, Jette Egelund; de Graaff, Erik

2013-01-01

(PBL) has been put forward as a promising pedagogical model and emerged as an opportunity to implement sustainability successfully. Due to the almost forty years of experience in PBL, a case study was carried out at Aalborg University, Denmark to excerpt their experience of integrating sustainability...... in a problem based learning environment. Three electronics engineering project modules were selected as example and empirically supported by constructed interviews with staff and document analysis of selected material. The findings were analysed with a systems approach and presented with reference to three...

Microbes as engines of ecosystem function: when does community structure enhance predictions of ecosystem processes?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emily B. Graham

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Microorganisms are vital in mediating the earth’s biogeochemical cycles; yet, despite our rapidly increasing ability to explore complex environmental microbial communities, the relationship between microbial community structure and ecosystem processes remains poorly understood. Here, we address a fundamental and unanswered question in microbial ecology: ‘When do we need to understand microbial community structure to accurately predict function?’ We present a statistical analysis investigating the value of environmental data and microbial community structure independently and in combination for explaining rates of carbon and nitrogen cycling processes within 82 global datasets. Environmental variables were the strongest predictors of process rates but left 44% of variation unexplained on average, suggesting the potential for microbial data to increase model accuracy. Although only 29% of our datasets were significantly improved by adding information on microbial community structure, we observed improvement in models of processes mediated by narrow phylogenetic guilds via functional gene data, and conversely, improvement in models of facultative microbial processes via community diversity metrics. Our results also suggest that microbial diversity can strengthen predictions of respiration rates beyond microbial biomass parameters, as 53% of models were improved by incorporating both sets of predictors compared to 35% by microbial biomass alone. Our analysis represents the first comprehensive analysis of research examining links between microbial community structure and ecosystem function. Taken together, our results indicate that a greater understanding of microbial communities informed by ecological principles may enhance our ability to predict ecosystem process rates relative to assessments based on environmental variables and microbial physiology.

ELECTRONIC CONTROL FOR FUEL SUPPLY OF DIESEL ENGINE ON THE BASIS OF PROGRAMMABLE PID-REGULATOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. G. Bakhanovich

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article presents a schematic diagram of the Euro-3 diesel engine electronic control and describes hard- and software platform of the high pressure fuel pump pneumatic actuator control that allows to realize the concept of electronic fuel supply control of diesel engine KamAZ-740. The strategic dependence beetwen the angular position of fuel pump governor lever and the angular position of electronic accelerator pedal were put on the basis of electronic control concept. Implementation of this dependence was carried out by applying a modulated PWM signal with determined duty cycle by the controller to the coil proportional solenoid valve, which is responsible for the amount of air pressure in the working chamber of the power air cylinder, connected by articulated-type to the governor lever of the high pressure fuel pump. In this case, the feedback control by position of governor lever of the high pressure fuel pump was introduced in the control circuit, but engine crankshaft speed control was carried out using a software continuous PID governor. Developed strategy gives possibility to track the deflection  of control parameter from a predetermined value by real-time and almost instantly, to make a control action on actuators to eliminate this deflection, while providing a minimum time of transition. Governor’s setting (proportional, integral and differential component performed empirically using the classical Ziegler – Nichols method, based on the analysis of the safety factor of automatic control system. The results of calculating the coefficients of proportional integral-differential regulator and oscillograms HIL experiment on testing the proposed diesel engine throttle control strategies using visualization CoDeSys V2.3 are given in activity.

Employability of the Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering Graduates of Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges

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Rizza T. Loquias

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The study determined the employment status of the graduates of BS Electronics Engineering from 1999 to 2011. It also addressed the relevance of the ECE program outcomes and school factors to their employability. Pertinent data were gathered using a questionnaire and the sample size of 180 was determined using Slovin’s formula. Findings revealed that the graduates are highly employable in a wide range of industry such as electronics manufacturing, electronics design, telecommunications, broadcasting, and data communications and ICT-related areas, were able to pass the licensure examinations and other certifications, currently enjoying regular permanent job positions as supervisors, production engineers, process engineers, educators and others, and are working for companies located in Metro Manila and industrial zones in Laguna and Cavite. A significant number work abroad as OFWs. Only a small number are employed in the province of Camarines Sur mainly due to the lack of electronics industries and employment opportunities in the area. The skills the graduates found most useful to their first jobs are critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills. Suggestions were given such as the inclusion of industry-utilized software and enhancement of the OJT program, more hands-on activities in the curriculum, exposure to industry while studying, and job familiarization among others. The findings of the study can serve as basis for curriculum review and revision to meet the demands of the industry.

Parallel ecological networks in ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Olff, Han; Alonso, David; Berg, Matty P.; Eriksson, B. Klemens; Loreau, Michel; Piersma, Theunis; Rooney, Neil

2009-01-01

In ecosystems, species interact with other species directly and through abiotic factors in multiple ways, often forming complex networks of various types of ecological interaction. Out of this suite of interactions, predator–prey interactions have received most attention. The resulting food webs, however, will always operate simultaneously with networks based on other types of ecological interaction, such as through the activities of ecosystem engineers or mutualistic interactions. Little is known about how to classify, organize and quantify these other ecological networks and their mutual interplay. The aim of this paper is to provide new and testable ideas on how to understand and model ecosystems in which many different types of ecological interaction operate simultaneously. We approach this problem by first identifying six main types of interaction that operate within ecosystems, of which food web interactions are one. Then, we propose that food webs are structured among two main axes of organization: a vertical (classic) axis representing trophic position and a new horizontal ‘ecological stoichiometry’ axis representing decreasing palatability of plant parts and detritus for herbivores and detrivores and slower turnover times. The usefulness of these new ideas is then explored with three very different ecosystems as test cases: temperate intertidal mudflats; temperate short grass prairie; and tropical savannah. PMID:19451126

Impact of typhoon disturbance on the diversity of key ecosystem engineers in a monoculture mangrove forest plantation, Can Gio Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam.

OpenAIRE

Diele, Karen.; Tran Ngoc, D M.; Geist, S J.; Meyer, F.; Pham, Q H.; Saint-Paul, Ulrich.; Triet, Tran.; Berger, Uta.

2013-01-01

Mangrove crabs as key ecosystem engineers may play an important role in the recovery process of storm-damaged forests. Yet, their response to storm disturbance is largely unknown. Here we compare the ground-dwelling brachyuran crab community of intact mangrove stands with that of typhoon gaps having experienced 100% tree mortality. Field work was conducted in two adjacent areas in Can Gio Biosphere Reserve, southern Vietnam. In each area, an 18–20 yr old monoculture Rhizophora apiculata stand...

Engineering tradeoffs in miniaturization of electronics for very large detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsen, R.S.

1987-10-01

The trend toward Application-Specific Integrated Circuits and similar systems-on-a-chip-technologies is fueling a new wave of innovation in detector electronics, just in time to address some of the problems being introduced by detectors which will approach a million channels of electronics. The cost-effectiveness of these technologies can be easily demonstrated, and the trend of the past twenty years of achieving more powerful electronics at a lower per-channel cost should receive a major impetus. The investment required in the new technologies will reshape the work force of most laboratories, by providing more and better tools, and by requiring training or retraining of significant numbers of personnel. The need for new instrumentation standards will arise at new levels in the detectors of the future. The laboratories must also invest heavily in integrating various computer aided engineering and computer aided design tools into a smoothly functioning system. They must also establish a new and different kind of working relationship with vendors and suppliers of both basic devices as well as standard packaged products. This paper discusses three concepts

Query Log Analysis of an Electronic Health Record Search Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Lei; Mei, Qiaozhu; Zheng, Kai; Hanauer, David A.

2011-01-01

We analyzed a longitudinal collection of query logs of a full-text search engine designed to facilitate information retrieval in electronic health records (EHR). The collection, 202,905 queries and 35,928 user sessions recorded over a course of 4 years, represents the information-seeking behavior of 533 medical professionals, including frontline practitioners, coding personnel, patient safety officers, and biomedical researchers for patient data stored in EHR systems. In this paper, we present descriptive statistics of the queries, a categorization of information needs manifested through the queries, as well as temporal patterns of the users’ information-seeking behavior. The results suggest that information needs in medical domain are substantially more sophisticated than those that general-purpose web search engines need to accommodate. Therefore, we envision there exists a significant challenge, along with significant opportunities, to provide intelligent query recommendations to facilitate information retrieval in EHR. PMID:22195150

Stimulation of microbial nitrogen cycling in aquatic ecosystems by benthic macrofauna: mechanisms and environmental implications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stief, P.

2013-01-01

(mainly nitrate and ammonium) and the emission of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide are evaluated. Published data indicate that ecosystem engineering by sediment-burrowing macrofauna stimulates benthic nitrification and denitrification, which together allows fixed nitrogen removal. However, the release...... enhance nitrous oxide emission from shallow aquatic ecosystems. The beneficial effect of benthic macrofauna on fixed nitrogen removal through coupled nitrification-denitrification can thus be offset by the concurrent release of (i) ammonium that stimulates aquatic primary production and (ii) nitrous oxide...... of ammonium from sediments is enhanced more strongly than the sedimentary uptake of nitrate. Ecosystem engineering by reef-building macrofauna increases nitrogen retention and ammonium concentrations in shallow aquatic ecosystems, but allows organic nitrogen removal through harvesting. Grazing by macrofauna...

Air pollution engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Maduna, Karolina; Tomašić, Vesna

2017-11-01

Air pollution is an environmental and a social problem which leads to a multitude of adverse effects on human health and standard of human life, state of the ecosystems and global change of climate. Air pollutants are emitted from natural, but mostly from anthropogenic sources and may be transported over long distances. Some air pollutants are extremely stable in the atmosphere and may accumulate in the environment and in the food chain, affecting human beings, animals and natural biodiversity. Obviously, air pollution is a complex problem that poses multiple challenges in terms of management and abatements of the pollutants emission. Effective approach to the problems of air pollution requires a good understanding of the sources that cause it, knowledge of air quality status and future trends as well as its impact on humans and ecosystems. This chapter deals with the complexities of the air pollution and presents an overview of different technical processes and equipment for air pollution control, as well as basic principles of their work. The problems of air protection as well as protection of other ecosystems can be solved only by the coordinated endeavors of various scientific and engineering disciplines, such as chemistry, physics, biology, medicine, chemical engineering and social sciences. The most important engineering contribution is mostly focused on development, design and operation of equipment for the abatement of harmful emissions into environment.

Sulfide intrusion and detoxification in seagrasses ecosystems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hasler-Sheetal, Harald; Holmer, Marianne

Sulfide intrusion in seagrasses represents a global threat to seagrasses and thereby an important parameter in resilience of seagrass ecosystems. In contrast seegrasses colonize and grow in hostile sediments, where they are constantly exposed to invasion of toxic gaseous sulfide. Remarkably little...... strategies of seagrasses to sustain sulfide intrusion. Using stable isotope tracing, scanning electron microscopy with x-ray analysis, tracing sulfur compounds combined with ecosystem parameters we found different spatial, intraspecific and interspecific strategies to cope with sulfidic sediments. 1...... not present in terrestrial plants at that level. Sulfide is not necessarily toxic but used as sulfur nutrition, presupposing healthy seagrass ecosystems that can support detoxification mechanisms. Presence or absence of those mechanisms determines susceptibility of seagrass ecosystems to sediment sulfide...

Electron-phonon interaction and scattering in Si and Ge: Implications for phonon engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tandon, Nandan; Albrecht, J. D.; Ram-Mohan, L. R.

2015-01-01

We report ab-initio results for electron-phonon (e-ph) coupling and display the existence of a large variation in the coupling parameter as a function of electron and phonon dispersion. This variation is observed for all phonon modes in Si and Ge, and we show this for representative cases where the initial electron states are at the band gap edges. Using these e-ph matrix elements, which include all possible phonon modes and electron bands within a relevant energy range, we evaluate the imaginary part of the electron self-energy in order to obtain the associated scattering rates. The temperature dependence is seen through calculations of the scattering rates at 0 K and 300 K. The results provide a basis for understanding the impacts of phonon scattering vs. orientation and geometry in the design of devices, and in analysis of transport phenomena. This provides an additional tool for engineering the transfer of energy from carriers to the lattice

A framework for analysing service ecosystems capabilities to innovate

OpenAIRE

Riedl, Christoph; Böhmann, Tilo; Leimeister, Jan Marco; Krcmar, Helmut

2009-01-01

Electronic services delivered over the Internet are gaining importance in the business world. This area has seen an increase in scientific interest over the past years under the labels “Internet of Services” and Web-service ecosystems. The paper develops a conceptual framework of actors and their roles in an open innovation system for a networked ecosystem of Web-services. The framework illustrates how open innovation can be implemented in a Web-service ecosystem to increase innovation perfor...

A Framework for Analysing Service Ecosystem Capabilities to Innovate

OpenAIRE

Riedl, Christoph;Böhmann, Tilo;Leimeister, Jan Marco;Krcmar, Helmut

2014-01-01

Electronic services delivered over the Internet are gaining importance in the business world. This area has seen an increase in scientific interest over the past years under the labels ?Internet of Services? and Web-service ecosystems. The paper develops a conceptual framework of actors and their roles in an open innovation system for a networked ecosystem of Web-services. The framework illustrates how open innovation can be implemented in a Web-service ecosystem to increase innovation perfor...

Stormwater management and ecosystem services: a review

Science.gov (United States)

Prudencio, Liana; Null, Sarah E.

2018-03-01

Researchers and water managers have turned to green stormwater infrastructure, such as bioswales, retention basins, wetlands, rain gardens, and urban green spaces to reduce flooding, augment surface water supplies, recharge groundwater, and improve water quality. It is increasingly clear that green stormwater infrastructure not only controls stormwater volume and timing, but also promotes ecosystem services, which are the benefits that ecosystems provide to humans. Yet there has been little synthesis focused on understanding how green stormwater management affects ecosystem services. The objectives of this paper are to review and synthesize published literature on ecosystem services and green stormwater infrastructure and identify gaps in research and understanding, establishing a foundation for research at the intersection of ecosystems services and green stormwater management. We reviewed 170 publications on stormwater management and ecosystem services, and summarized the state-of-the-science categorized by the four types of ecosystem services. Major findings show that: (1) most research was conducted at the parcel-scale and should expand to larger scales to more closely understand green stormwater infrastructure impacts, (2) nearly a third of papers developed frameworks for implementing green stormwater infrastructure and highlighted barriers, (3) papers discussed ecosystem services, but less than 40% quantified ecosystem services, (4) no geographic trends emerged, indicating interest in applying green stormwater infrastructure across different contexts, (5) studies increasingly integrate engineering, physical science, and social science approaches for holistic understanding, and (6) standardizing green stormwater infrastructure terminology would provide a more cohesive field of study than the diverse and often redundant terminology currently in use. We recommend that future research provide metrics and quantify ecosystem services, integrate disciplines to

Validation of a zero-dimensional model for prediction of NOx and engine performance for electronically controlled marine two-stroke diesel engines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scappin, Fabio; Stefansson, Sigurður H.; Haglind, Fredrik; Andreasen, Anders; Larsen, Ulrik

2012-01-01

The aim of this paper is to derive a methodology suitable for energy system analysis for predicting the performance and NO x emissions of marine low speed diesel engines. The paper describes a zero-dimensional model, evaluating the engine performance by means of an energy balance and a two zone combustion model using ideal gas law equations over a complete crank cycle. The combustion process is divided into intervals, and the product composition and flame temperature are calculated in each interval. The NO x emissions are predicted using the extended Zeldovich mechanism. The model is validated using experimental data from two MAN B and W engines; one case being data subject to engine parameter changes corresponding to simulating an electronically controlled engine; the second case providing data covering almost all model input and output parameters. The first case of validation suggests that the model can predict specific fuel oil consumption and NO x emissions within the 95% confidence intervals given by the experimental measurements. The second validation confirms the capability of the model to match measured engine output parameters based on measured engine input parameters with a maximum 5% deviation. - Highlights: ► A fast realistic model of a marine two-stroke low speed diesel engine was derived. ► The model is fast and accurate enough for future complex energy systems analysis. ► The effects of engine tuning were validated with experimental tests. ► The model was validated while constrained by experimental input and output data.

Achieving Payoffs from an Industry Cloud Ecosystem at BankID

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eaton, Ben; Hallingby, Hanne Kristine; Nesse, Per-Jonny

2014-01-01

BankID is an industry cloud owned by Norwegian banks. It provides electronic identity, authentication and electronic signing capabilities for banking, merchant and government services. More than 60% of the population uses BankID services. As the broader ecosystem around BankID evolved, challenges......—arising from tensions between different parts of the ecosystem—had to be resolved. The four lessons learned from the BankID case will help others to build an industry cloud and establish a healthy ecosystem to service a broad user base....

Structural and electronic properties of in-plane phase engineered WSe2: A DFT study

Science.gov (United States)

Bhart, Ankush; Kapoor, Pooja; Sharma, Munish; Sharma, Raman; Ahluwalia, P. K.

2018-04-01

We present first principal investigations on structural and electronic properties of in-plane phase engineered WSe2 with armchair type interface. The 2H and 1T phases of WSe2, joined along x-direction is a natural metal-semiconductor heterostructure and therefore shows potential for applications in 2D electronics and opto-electronics. The electronic properties transit towards metallic 1T region. No inflections across interface shows negligible mismatch strain which is unlike what has been reported for MoS2. Charge density analysis shows charge accumulation on 1T domain. This can lead to reduction of Schottky barrier heights at the metal-semiconductor junction. STM analysis confirms transition of 1T phase towards distorted 1T' structure. The present results provide essential insights for nano-devices using 2D hybrid materials.

Engineering electronic states of periodic and quasiperiodic chains by buckling

Science.gov (United States)

Mukherjee, Amrita; Nandy, Atanu; Chakrabarti, Arunava

2017-07-01

The spectrum of spinless, non-interacting electrons on a linear chain that is buckled in a non-uniform, quasiperiodic manner is investigated within a tight binding formalism. We have addressed two specific cases, viz., a perfectly periodic chain wrinkled in a quasiperiodic Fibonacci pattern, and a quasiperiodic Fibonacci chain, where the buckling also takes place in a Fibonacci pattern. The buckling brings distant neighbors in the parent chain to close proximity, which is simulated by a tunnel hopping amplitude. It is seen that, in the perfectly ordered case, increasing the strength of the tunnel hopping (that is, bending the segments more) absolutely continuous density of states is retained towards the edges of the band, while the central portion becomes fragmented and host subbands of narrowing widths containing extended, current carrying states, and multiple isolated bound states formed as a result of the bending. A switching ;on; and ;off; of the electronic transmission can thus be engineered by buckling. On the other hand, in the second example of a quasiperiodic Fibonacci chain, imparting a quasiperiodic buckling is found to generate continuous subband(s) destroying the usual multifractality of the energy spectrum. We present exact results based on a real space renormalization group analysis, that is corroborated by explicit calculation of the two terminal electronic transport.

Practical electronics handbook

CERN Document Server

Sinclair, Ian R

2013-01-01

Practical Electronics Handbook, Third Edition provides the frequently used and highly applicable principles of electronics and electronic circuits.The book contains relevant information in electronics. The topics discussed in the text include passive and active discrete components; linear and digital I.C.s; microprocessors and microprocessor systems; digital-analogue conversions; computer aids in electronics design; and electronic hardware components.Electronic circuit constructors, service engineers, electronic design engineers, and anyone with an interest in electronics will find the book ve

A Low Cost Implementation of an Existing Hands-on Laboratory Experiment in Electronic Engineering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clement Onime

2014-10-01

Full Text Available In engineering the pedagogical content of most formative programmes includes a significant amount of practical laboratory hands-on activity designed to deliver knowledge acquisition from actual experience alongside traditional face-to-face classroom based lectures and tutorials; this hands-on aspect is not always adequately addressed by current e-learning platforms. An innovative approach to e-learning in engineering, named computer aided engineering education (CAEE is about the use of computer aids for the enhanced, interactive delivery of educational materials in different fields of engineering through two separate but related components; one for classroom and another for practical hands-on laboratory work. The component for hands-on laboratory practical work focuses on the use of mixed reality (video-based augmented reality tools on mobile devices/platforms. This paper presents the computer aided engineering education (CAEE implementation of a laboratory experiment in micro-electronics that highlights some features such as the ability to closely implement an existing laboratory based hands-on experiment with lower associated costs and the ability to conduct the experiment off-line while maintaining existing pedagogical contents and standards.

Fundamental of biomedical engineering

CERN Document Server

Sawhney, GS

2007-01-01

About the Book: A well set out textbook explains the fundamentals of biomedical engineering in the areas of biomechanics, biofluid flow, biomaterials, bioinstrumentation and use of computing in biomedical engineering. All these subjects form a basic part of an engineer''s education. The text is admirably suited to meet the needs of the students of mechanical engineering, opting for the elective of Biomedical Engineering. Coverage of bioinstrumentation, biomaterials and computing for biomedical engineers can meet the needs of the students of Electronic & Communication, Electronic & Instrumenta

A theoretical study on the performances of thermoelectric heat engine and refrigerator with two-dimensional electron reservoirs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo, Xiaoguang; Long, Kailin; Wang, Jun; Qiu, Teng; He, Jizhou; Liu, Nian

2014-01-01

Theoretical thermoelectric nanophysics models of low-dimensional electronic heat engine and refrigerator devices, comprising two-dimensional hot and cold reservoirs and an interconnecting filtered electron transport mechanism have been established. The models were used to numerically simulate and evaluate the thermoelectric performance and energy conversion efficiencies of these low-dimensional devices, based on three different types of electron transport momentum-dependent filters, referred to herein as k x , k y , and k r filters. Assuming the Fermi-Dirac distribution of electrons, expressions for key thermoelectric performance parameters were derived for the resonant transport processes, in which the transmission of electrons has been approximated as a Lorentzian resonance function. Optimizations were carried out and the corresponding optimized design parameters have been determined, including but not limited to the universal theoretical upper bound of the efficiency at maximum power for heat engines, and the maximum coefficient of performance for refrigerators. From the results, it was determined that k r filter delivers the best thermoelectric performance, followed by the k x filter, and then the k y filter. For refrigerators with any one of three filters, an optimum range for the full width at half maximum of the transport resonance was found to be B T.

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: MA Ecosystems

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: MA Ecosystems provides data and information on the extent and classification of ecosystems circa 2000, including coastal,...

Elucidating the electron transport in semiconductors via Monte Carlo simulations: an inquiry-driven learning path for engineering undergraduates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adorno, Dominique Persano; Pizzolato, Nicola; Fazio, Claudio

2015-01-01

Within the context of higher education for science or engineering undergraduates, we present an inquiry-driven learning path aimed at developing a more meaningful conceptual understanding of the electron dynamics in semiconductors in the presence of applied electric fields. The electron transport in a nondegenerate n-type indium phosphide bulk semiconductor is modelled using a multivalley Monte Carlo approach. The main characteristics of the electron dynamics are explored under different values of the driving electric field, lattice temperature and impurity density. Simulation results are presented by following a question-driven path of exploration, starting from the validation of the model and moving up to reasoned inquiries about the observed characteristics of electron dynamics. Our inquiry-driven learning path, based on numerical simulations, represents a viable example of how to integrate a traditional lecture-based teaching approach with effective learning strategies, providing science or engineering undergraduates with practical opportunities to enhance their comprehension of the physics governing the electron dynamics in semiconductors. Finally, we present a general discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of using an inquiry-based teaching approach within a learning environment based on semiconductor simulations. (paper)

Elucidating the electron transport in semiconductors via Monte Carlo simulations: an inquiry-driven learning path for engineering undergraduates

Science.gov (United States)

Persano Adorno, Dominique; Pizzolato, Nicola; Fazio, Claudio

2015-09-01

Within the context of higher education for science or engineering undergraduates, we present an inquiry-driven learning path aimed at developing a more meaningful conceptual understanding of the electron dynamics in semiconductors in the presence of applied electric fields. The electron transport in a nondegenerate n-type indium phosphide bulk semiconductor is modelled using a multivalley Monte Carlo approach. The main characteristics of the electron dynamics are explored under different values of the driving electric field, lattice temperature and impurity density. Simulation results are presented by following a question-driven path of exploration, starting from the validation of the model and moving up to reasoned inquiries about the observed characteristics of electron dynamics. Our inquiry-driven learning path, based on numerical simulations, represents a viable example of how to integrate a traditional lecture-based teaching approach with effective learning strategies, providing science or engineering undergraduates with practical opportunities to enhance their comprehension of the physics governing the electron dynamics in semiconductors. Finally, we present a general discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of using an inquiry-based teaching approach within a learning environment based on semiconductor simulations.

Ecosystems Vulnerability Challenge and Prize Competition

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, J. H.; Frame, M. T.; Ferriter, O.; Recker, J.

2014-12-01

Stimulating innovation and private sector entrepreneurship is an important way to advance the preparedness of communities, businesses and individuals for the impacts of climate change on certain aspects of ecosystems, such as: fire regimes; water availability; carbon sequestration; biodiversity conservation; weather-related hazards, and the spread of invasive species. The creation of tools is critical to help communities and natural resource managers better understand the impacts of climate change on ecosystems and the potential resulting implications for ecosystem services and conservation efforts. The Department of the Interior is leading an interagency effort to develop the Ecosystems Vulnerability theme as part of the President's Climate Action Plan. This effort will provide seamless access to relevant datasets that can help address such issues as: risk of wildfires to local communities and federal lands; water sensitivity to climate change; and understanding the role of ecosystems in a changing climate. This session will provide an overview of the proposed Ecosystem Vulnerability Challenge and Prize Competition, outlining the intended audience, scope, goals, and overall timeline. The session will provide an opportunity for participants to offer new ideas. Through the Challenge, access will be made available to critical datasets for software developers, engineers, scientists, students, and researchers to develop and submit applications addressing critical science issues facing our Nation today. Application submission criteria and guidelines will also be discussed. The Challenge will be open to all sectors and organizations (i.e. federal, non-federal, private sector, non-profits, and universities) within the United States. It is anticipated the Challenge will run from early January 2015 until spring of 2015.

Deer Island Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Project

Science.gov (United States)

2015-07-01

across the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) requires that a broad base of EWN understanding and support be built . The Deer Island Aquatic...USACE) requires that a broad base of EWN understanding and support be built . The Deer Island Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Project (Deer Island AERP...Mississippi Wetlands Restoration Projects). The project received additional funding through several public laws in response to hurricane damages

Towards reference architectures as an enabler for software ecosystems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knodel, Jens; Manikas, Konstantinos

2016-01-01

Software ecosystems - a topic with increasingly growing interest in academia and industry in the past decade - arguably revolutionized many aspects of industrial software engineering (business models, architectures, platforms, project executions, collaboration models, distribution of assets......, to name a few). Software ecosystems enable the contribution of external actors with distinct center a common technology and the potential distribution of the actor contributions to an existing user set. Reference architectures have been proven successful and beneficial for software product lines...... and traditional software development within distinct domains. They arguably come with a set of benefits that severely counterweights the additional effort of design and implementation. But what is the role of reference architectures in an ecosystem setting? In this position paper, we argue for the use...

Business analysis for a sustainable, multi-stakeholder ecosystem for leveraging the Electronic Health Records for Clinical Research (EHR4CR) platform in Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Dupont, Danielle; Beresniak, Ariel; Sundgren, Mats; Schmidt, Andreas; Ainsworth, John; Coorevits, Pascal; Kalra, Dipak; Dewispelaere, Marc; De Moor, Georges

2017-01-01

The Electronic Health Records for Clinical Research (EHR4CR) technological platform has been developed to enable the trustworthy reuse of hospital electronic health records data for clinical research. The EHR4CR platform can enhance and speed up clinical research scenarios: protocol feasibility assessment, patient identification for recruitment in clinical trials, and clinical data exchange, including for reporting serious adverse events. Our objective was to seed a multi-stakeholder ecosystem to enable the scalable exploitation of the EHR4CR platform in Europe, and to assess its economic sustainability. Market analyses were conducted by a multidisciplinary task force to define an EHR4CR emerging ecosystem and multi-stakeholder value chain. This involved mapping stakeholder groups and defining their unmet needs, incentives, potential barriers for adopting innovative solutions, roles and interdependencies. A comprehensive business model, value propositions, and sustainability strategies were developed accordingly. Using simulation modelling (including Monte Carlo simulations) and a 5-year horizon, the potential financial outcomes of the business model were forecasted from the perspective of an EHR4CR service provider. A business ecosystem was defined to leverage the EHR4CR multi-stakeholder value chain. Value propositions were developed describing the expected benefits of EHR4CR solutions for all stakeholders. From an EHR4CR service provider's viewpoint, the business model simulation estimated that a profitability ratio of up to 1.8 could be achieved at year 1, with potential for growth in subsequent years depending on projected market uptake. By enhancing and speeding up existing processes, EHR4CR solutions promise to transform the clinical research landscape. The ecosystem defined provides the organisational framework for optimising the value and benefits for all stakeholders involved, in a sustainable manner. Our study suggests that the exploitation of EHR4CR

Effects of conventional and biodegradable microplastics on a marine ecosystem engineer (Arenicola marina) and sediment nutrient cycling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, Dannielle Senga; Boots, Bas; Sigwart, Julia; Jiang, Shan; Rocha, Carlos

2016-01-01

Effects of microplastic pollution on benthic organisms and ecosystem services provided by sedimentary habitats are largely unknown. An outdoor mesocosm experiment was done to realistically assess the effects of three different types of microplastic pollution (one biodegradable type; polylactic acid and two conventional types; polyethylene and polyvinylchloride) at increasing concentrations (0.02, 0.2 and 2% of wet sediment weight) on the health and biological activity of lugworms, Arenicola marina (Linnaeus, 1758), and on nitrogen cycling and primary productivity of the sediment they inhabit. After 31 days, A. marina produced less casts in sediments containing microplastics. Metabolic rates of A. marina increased, while microalgal biomass decreased at high concentrations, compared to sediments with low concentrations or without microplastics. Responses were strongest to polyvinylchloride, emphasising that different materials may have differential effects. Each material needs to be carefully evaluated in order to assess their risks as microplastic pollution. Overall, both conventional and biodegradable microplastics in sandy sediments can affect the health and behaviour of lugworms and directly or indirectly reduce primary productivity of these habitats. - Highlights: • Effects of conventional and biodegradable microplastics on lugworm habitats. • 0.2–2% microplastics (by weight) reduced microalgal biomass of sediment. • Biodegradable (PLA) and conventional (HDPE, PVC) microplastics had similar effects. • High doses (2% by sediment weight) of PVC altered metabolism of lugworms. • Microplastics altered burrowing activity of lugworms measured as casts. - Biodegradable and conventional microplastics altered activities of a key marine ecosystem engineer and reduced primary productivity of sandy sediments.

METHOD OF CONVERSION OF HIGH- AND MIDDLE-SPEED DIESEL ENGINES INTO GAS DIESEL ENGINES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mikhail G. Shatrov

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The paper aims at the development of fuel supply and electronic control systems for boosted high- and middle-speed transport engines. A detailed analysis of different ways of converting diesel engine to operate on natural gas was carried out. The gas diesel process with minimized ignition portion of diesel fuel injected by the Common Rail (CR system was selected. Electronic engine control and modular gas feed systems which can be used both on high- and middle-speed gas diesel engines were developed. Also diesel CR fuel supply systems were developed in cooperation with the industrial partner, namely, those that can be mounted on middle-speed diesel and gas diesel engines. Electronic control and gas feed systems were perfected using modeling and engine tests. The high-speed diesel engine was converted into a gas diesel one. After perfection of the gas feed and electronic control systems, bench tests of the high-speed gas diesel engine were carried out showing a high share of diesel fuel substitution with gas, high fuel efficiency and significant decrease of NOх and СО2 emissions.

Supporting information retrieval from electronic health records: A report of University of Michigan's nine-year experience in developing and using the Electronic Medical Record Search Engine (EMERSE).

Science.gov (United States)

Hanauer, David A; Mei, Qiaozhu; Law, James; Khanna, Ritu; Zheng, Kai

2015-06-01

This paper describes the University of Michigan's nine-year experience in developing and using a full-text search engine designed to facilitate information retrieval (IR) from narrative documents stored in electronic health records (EHRs). The system, called the Electronic Medical Record Search Engine (EMERSE), functions similar to Google but is equipped with special functionalities for handling challenges unique to retrieving information from medical text. Key features that distinguish EMERSE from general-purpose search engines are discussed, with an emphasis on functions crucial to (1) improving medical IR performance and (2) assuring search quality and results consistency regardless of users' medical background, stage of training, or level of technical expertise. Since its initial deployment, EMERSE has been enthusiastically embraced by clinicians, administrators, and clinical and translational researchers. To date, the system has been used in supporting more than 750 research projects yielding 80 peer-reviewed publications. In several evaluation studies, EMERSE demonstrated very high levels of sensitivity and specificity in addition to greatly improved chart review efficiency. Increased availability of electronic data in healthcare does not automatically warrant increased availability of information. The success of EMERSE at our institution illustrates that free-text EHR search engines can be a valuable tool to help practitioners and researchers retrieve information from EHRs more effectively and efficiently, enabling critical tasks such as patient case synthesis and research data abstraction. EMERSE, available free of charge for academic use, represents a state-of-the-art medical IR tool with proven effectiveness and user acceptance. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Theory of semiconductor junction devices a textbook for electrical and electronic engineers

CERN Document Server

Leck, J H

1967-01-01

Theory of Semiconductor Junction Devices: A Textbook for Electrical and Electronic Engineers presents the simplified numerical computation of the fundamental electrical equations, specifically Poisson's and the Hall effect equations. This book provides the fundamental theory relevant for the understanding of semiconductor device theory. Comprised of 10 chapters, this book starts with an overview of the application of band theory to the special case of semiconductors, both intrinsic and extrinsic. This text then describes the electrical properties of conductivity, semiconductors, and Hall effe

Assessing the feasibility of integrating ecosystem-based with engineered water resource governance and management for water security in semi-arid landscapes: A case study in the Banas catchment, Rajasthan, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Everard, Mark; Sharma, Om Prakash; Vishwakarma, Vinod Kumar; Khandal, Dharmendra; Sahu, Yogesh K; Bhatnagar, Rahul; Singh, Jitendra K; Kumar, Ritesh; Nawab, Asghar; Kumar, Amit; Kumar, Vivek; Kashyap, Anil; Pandey, Deep Narayan; Pinder, Adrian C

2018-01-15

Much of the developing world and areas of the developed world suffer water vulnerability. Engineering solutions enable technically efficient extraction and diversion of water towards areas of demand but, without rebalancing resource regeneration, can generate multiple adverse ecological and human consequences. The Banas River, Rajasthan (India), has been extensively developed for water diversion, particularly from the Bisalpur Dam from which water is appropriated by powerful urban constituencies dispossessing local people. Coincidentally, abandonment of traditional management, including groundwater recharge practices, is leading to increasingly receding and contaminated groundwater. This creates linked vulnerabilities for rural communities, irrigation schemes, urban users, dependent ecosystems and the multiple ecosystem services that they provide, compounded by climate change and population growth. This paper addresses vulnerabilities created by fragmented policy measures between rural development, urban and irrigation water supply and downstream consequences for people and wildlife. Perpetuating narrowly technocentric approaches to resource exploitation is likely only to compound emerging problems. Alternatively, restoration or innovation of groundwater recharge practices, particularly in the upper catchment, can represent a proven, ecosystem-based approach to resource regeneration with linked beneficial socio-ecological benefits. Hybridising an ecosystem-based approach with engineered methods can simultaneously increase the security of rural livelihoods, piped urban and irrigation supplies, and the vitality of river ecosystems and their services to beneficiaries. A renewed policy focus on local-scale water recharge practices balancing water extraction technologies is consistent with emerging Rajasthani policies, particularly Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan ('water self-reliance mission'). Policy reform emphasising recharge can contribute to water security and yield socio

Designing an accompanying ecosystem to foster entrepreneurship among agronomic and forestry engineering students. Opinion and commitment of university lecturers

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz-Medina, L.; Fernández-Ahumada, E.; Lara-Vélez, P.; Taguas, E. V.; Gallardo-Cobos, R.; del Campillo, M. C.; Guerrero-Ginel, J. E.

2016-07-01

In the Higher School of Agronomic and Forestry Engineering of the University of Cordoba, a collective project conceived as an 'ecosystem to support and accompany entrepreneurs' has been proposed. The approach aims to spread and consolidate the entrepreneurial spirit and to respond to the demands of possible stakeholders involved in the whole process of training, as well as the subsequent integration of graduates into the labour market. Putting into practice this initiative, which involves multiple actors, is a complex and difficult task. For this reason, prior to its implementation, the authors considered it necessary to listen to main stakeholders' opinions and evaluate their degree of commitment and the requirements they consider important for the viability and sustainability of the initiative. This paper focuses on the faculty's opinions, gathered by means of a survey conducted with the entire faculty (N = 128, response rate = 45%) and semi-structured interviews held with 20 members of the School board. The results suggest that there is a general consensus on the suitability of this collective project and that there is a core of teachers willing to get involved. Evidently, guidelines need to be produced to facilitate taking on such tasks. However, the main drawbacks are related with the conflict between formal requirements of professor professional profile and the steps needed to establish the ecosystem.

Magnetic collimation of fast electrons in specially engineered targets irradiated by ultraintense laser pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai Hongbo; Zhu Shaoping; Wu Sizhong; Chen Mo; Zhou Cangtao; He, X. T.; Yu Wei; Nagatomo, Hideo

2011-01-01

The efficient magnetic collimation of fast electron flow transporting in overdense plasmas is investigated with two-dimensional collisional particle-in-cell numerical simulations. It is found that the specially engineered targets exhibiting either high-resistivity-core-low-resistivity-cladding structure or low-density-core-high-density-cladding structure can collimate fast electrons. Two main mechanisms to generate collimating magnetic fields are found. In high-resistivity-core-low-resistivity-cladding structure targets, the magnetic field at the interfaces is generated by the gradients of the resistivity and fast electron current, while in low-density-core-high-density-cladding structure targets, the magnetic field is generated by the rapid changing of the flow velocity of the background electrons in transverse direction (perpendicular to the flow velocity) caused by the density jump. The dependences of the maximal magnetic field on the incident laser intensity and plasma density, which are studied by numerical simulations, are supported by our analytical calculations.

[Integration of fundamental and applied medical and technical research made at the department of the biomedical systems, Moscow State Institute of Electronic Engineering].

Science.gov (United States)

Selishchev, S V

2004-01-01

The integration results of fundamental and applied medical-and-technical research made at the chair of biomedical systems, Moscow state institute of electronic engineering (technical university--MSIEE), are described in the paper. The chair is guided in its research activity by the traditions of higher education in Russia in the field of biomedical electronics and biomedical engineering. Its activities are based on the extrapolation of methods of electronic tools, computer technologies, physics, biology and medicine with due respect being paid to the requirements of practical medicine and to topical issues of research and design.

Abundance and fragmentation patterns of the ecosystem engineer Lithophyllum byssoides (Lamarck) Foslie along the Iberian Peninsula Atlantic coast. Conservation and management implications

Science.gov (United States)

Veiga, Puri; Rubal, Marcos; Cacabelos, Eva; Moreira, Juan; Sousa-Pinto, Isabel

2013-10-01

The crustose calcareous red macroalgae Lithophyllum byssoides (Lamarck) Foslie is a common ecosystem engineer along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula. This species is threatened by several anthropogenic impacts acting at different spatial scales, such as pollution or global warming. The aim of this study is to identify scales of spatial variation in the abundance and fragmentation patterns of L. byssoides along the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula. For this aim we used a hierarchical sampling design considering four spatial scales (from metres to 100s of kilometres). Results of the present study indicated no significant variability among regions investigated whereas significant variability was found at the scales of shore and site in spatial patterns of abundance and fragmentation of L. byssoides. Variance components were higher at the spatial scale of shore for abundance and fragmentation of L. byssoides with the only exception of percentage cover and thus, processes acting at the scale of 10s of kilometres seem to be more relevant in shaping the spatial variability both in abundance and fragmentation of L. byssoides. These results provided quantitative estimates of abundance and fragmentation of L. byssoides at the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula establishing the observational basis for future assessment, monitoring and experimental investigations to identify the processes and anthropogenic impacts affecting L. byssoides populations. Finally we have also identified percentage cover and patch density as the best variables for long-term monitoring programs aimed to detect future anthropogenic impacts on L. byssoides. Therefore, our results have important implications for conservation and management of this valuable ecosystem engineer along the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula.

The Orthanc Ecosystem for Medical Imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Jodogne, Sébastien

2018-05-03

This paper reviews the components of Orthanc, a free and open-source, highly versatile ecosystem for medical imaging. At the core of the Orthanc ecosystem, the Orthanc server is a lightweight vendor neutral archive that provides PACS managers with a powerful environment to automate and optimize the imaging flows that are very specific to each hospital. The Orthanc server can be extended with plugins that provide solutions for teleradiology, digital pathology, or enterprise-ready databases. It is shown how software developers and research engineers can easily develop external software or Web portals dealing with medical images, with minimal knowledge of the DICOM standard, thanks to the advanced programming interface of the Orthanc server. The paper concludes by introducing the Stone of Orthanc, an innovative toolkit for the cross-platform rendering of medical images.

Genetic and morphological variation in an ecosystem engineer, Lithophyllum byssoides (Corallinales, Rhodophyta).

Science.gov (United States)

Pezzolesi, Laura; Falace, Annalisa; Kaleb, Sara; Hernandez-Kantun, Jazmin J; Cerrano, Carlo; Rindi, Fabio

2017-02-01

Lithophyllum byssoides is a common coralline alga in the intertidal zone of Mediterranean coasts, where it produces biogenic concretions housing a high algal and invertebrate biodiversity. This species is an ecosystem engineer and is considered a target for conservation efforts, but designing effective conservation strategies currently is impossible due to lack of information about its population structure. The morphological and molecular variation of L. byssoides was investigated using morphoanatomy and DNA sequences (psbA and cox2,3) obtained from populations at 15 localities on the Italian and Croatian coasts. Lithophyllum byssoides exhibited a high number of haplotypes (31 psbA haplotypes and 24 cox2,3 haplotypes) in the central Mediterranean. The psbA and cox2,3 phylogenies were congruent and showed seven lineages. For most of these clades, the distribution was limited to one or a few localities, but one of them (clade 7) was widespread across the central Mediterranean, spanning the main biogeographic boundaries recognized in this area. The central Mediterranean populations formed a lineage separate from Atlantic samples; psbA pair-wise divergences suggested that recognition of Atlantic and Mediterranean L. byssoides as different species may be appropriate. The central Mediterranean haplotype patterns of L. byssoides were interpreted as resulting from past climatic events in the hydrogeological history of the Mediterranean Sea. The high haplotype diversity and the restricted spatial distribution of the seven lineages suggest that individual populations should be managed as independent units. © 2016 Phycological Society of America.

Evolving software products, the design of a water-related modeling software ecosystem

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Manikas, Konstantinos

2017-01-01

more than 50 years ago. However, a radical change of software products to evolve both in the software engineering as much as the organizational and business aspects in a disruptive manner are rather rare. In this paper, we report on the transformation of one of the market leader product series in water......-related calculation and modeling from a traditional business-as-usual series of products to an evolutionary software ecosystem. We do so by relying on existing concepts on software ecosystem analysis to analyze the future ecosystem. We report and elaborate on the main focus points necessary for this transition. We...... argue for the generalization of our focus points to the transition from traditional business-as-usual software products to software ecosystems....

Phase engineering of monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenide through coupled electron doping and lattice deformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ouyang, Bin; Lan, Guoqiang; Song, Jun; Guo, Yinsheng; Mi, Zetian

2015-01-01

First-principles calculations were performed to investigate the phase stability and transition within four monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) systems, i.e., MX 2 (M = Mo or W and X = S or Se) under coupled electron doping and lattice deformation. With the lattice distortion and electron doping density treated as state variables, the energy surfaces of different phases were computed, and the diagrams of energetically preferred phases were constructed. These diagrams assess the competition between different phases and predict conditions of phase transitions for the TMDs considered. The interplay between lattice deformation and electron doping was identified as originating from the deformation induced band shifting and band bending. Based on our findings, a potential design strategy combining an efficient electrolytic gating and a lattice straining to achieve controllable phase engineering in TMD monolayers was demonstrated

Ecosystem-based management and the wealth of ecosystems

OpenAIRE

Yun, Seong Do; Hutniczak, Barbara; Abbott, Joshua K.; Fenichel, Eli P.

2017-01-01

Ecosystems store vast quantities of wealth, but difficulties measuring wealth held in ecosystems prevent its inclusion in accounting systems. Ecosystem-based management endeavors to manage ecosystems holistically. However, ecosystem-based management lacks headline indicators to evaluate performance. We unify the inclusive wealth and ecosystem-based management paradigms, allowing apples-to-apples comparisons between the wealth of the ecosystem and other forms of wealth, while providing a headl...

Music engineering

CERN Document Server

Brice, Richard

2001-01-01

Music Engineering is a hands-on guide to the practical aspects of electric and electronic music. It is both a compelling read and an essential reference guide for anyone using, choosing, designing or studying the technology of modern music. The technology and underpinning science are introduced through the real life demands of playing and recording, and illustrated with references to well known classic recordings to show how a particular effect is obtained thanks to the ingenuity of the engineer as well as the musician. In addition, an accompanying companion website containing over 50 specially chosen tracks for download, provides practical demonstrations of the effects and techniques described in the book. Written by a music enthusiast and electronic engineer, this book covers the electronics and physics of the subject as well as the more subjective aspects. The second edition includes an updated Digital section including MPEG3 and fact sheets at the end of each chapter to summarise the key electronics and s...

Managing the three-rivers headwater region, china: from ecological engineering to social engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Yiping

2013-09-01

The three-rivers headwater region (THRHR) of Qinghai province, China plays a key role as source of fresh water and ecosystem services for central and eastern China. Global warming and human activities in the THRHR have threatened the ecosystem since the 1980s. Therefore, the Chinese government has included managing of the THRHR in the national strategy since 2003. The State Integrated Test and Demonstration Region of the THRHR highlights the connection with social engineering (focus on improving people's livelihood and well-being) in managing nature reserves. Based on this program, this perspective attempts a holistic analysis of the strategic role of the THRHR, requirements for change, indices of change, and approaches to change. Long-term success of managing nature reserves requires effective combination of ecological conservation, economic development, and social progress. Thus, the philosophy of social engineering should be employed as a strategy to manage the THRHR.

Electronic Engineering Notebook: A software environment for research execution, documentation and dissemination

Science.gov (United States)

Moerder, Dan

1994-01-01

The electronic engineering notebook (EEN) consists of a free form research notebook, implemented in a commercial package for distributed hypermedia, which includes utilities for graphics capture, formatting and display of LaTex constructs, and interfaces to the host operating system. The latter capability consists of an information computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tool and a means to associate executable scripts with source objects. The EEN runs on Sun and HP workstations. The EEN, in day-to-day use can be used in much the same manner as the sort of research notes most researchers keep during development of projects. Graphics can be pasted in, equations can be entered via LaTex, etc. In addition, the fact that the EEN is hypermedia permits easy management of 'context', e.g., derivations and data can contain easily formed links to other supporting derivations and data. The CASE tool also permits development and maintenance of source code directly in the notebook, with access to its derivations and data.

Interplay between abiotic factors and species assemblages mediated by the ecosystem engineer Sabellaria alveolata (Annelida: Polychaeta)

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Auriane G.; Dubois, Stanislas F.; Desroy, Nicolas; Fournier, Jérôme

2018-01-01

, associated and control sediment assemblages. These two parameters are under the ecosystem engineer's influence stressing its importance in structuring benthic macrofauna. Furthermore, in late summer but not in late winter, presence/absence and abundance-based beta diversity were positively correlated to our disturbance proxy (mud content) a tendency driven by a species replacement and a rise in the associated fauna density. Our first set of results highlight the importance of S. alveolata reefs as benthic primary production enhancers via their physical structure and their biological activity. The results obtained using beta diversity indices emphasize the importance of recruitment in structuring the reef's macrofauna and - paradoxically - the ecological value of S. alveolata degraded forms as biodiversity and recruitment promoters.

Reliability Engineering for Service Oriented Architectures

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-01

Common Object Request Broker Architecture Ecosystem In software , an ecosystem is a set of applications and/or services that grad- ually build up over time...Enterprise Service Bus Foreign In an SOA context: Any SOA, service or software which the owners of the calling software do not have control of, either...SOA Service Oriented Architecture SRE Software Reliability Engineering System Mode Many systems exhibit different modes of operation. E.g. the cockpit

Improvement of diesel engine performance by hydraulically powered electronic control (mechatronics) system. Hakuyo diesel kikan no mechatronics system ni yoru seino kojo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sonoda, K.; Nakamura, Y.; Kajima, T.; Sato, S.; Fujii, T.; Tobe, Y. (Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Tokyo (Japan))

1992-07-20

This paper describes new hydraulically-actuated mechanisms for both fuel injection and inlet/exhaust valve operation of diesel engines through solenoid valves, which obviate the conventional cam-driven system. These mechanisms were integrated with an electronic control unit also developed in this study and they were mounted as a mechatronics system'' on a power-increased single-cylinder engine. This mechatronics system was mainly composed of an injection control. boost and accumulation component, an inlet and exhaust valve control component, a solenoid valve, an electronic control equipment, a hydraulic power unit, and a maneuvering unit. The verification test was carried out for the improvement of diesel engine performance by the hydraulically powered mechatronics system. As a result, it was proved not only that these mechanisms provide stable operating characteristics over a wide range of conditions, but also that the electronic control system allows accurate, smooth response. 3 refs., 23 figs., 2 tabs.

Engineering Mixed Ionic Electronic Conduction in La 0.8 Sr 0.2 MnO 3+ δ Nanostructures through Fast Grain Boundary Oxygen Diffusivity

KAUST Repository

Saranya, Aruppukottai M.; Pla, Dolors; Morata, Alex; Cavallaro, Andrea; Canales-Vá zquez, Jesú s; Kilner, John A.; Burriel, Mó nica; Tarancó n, Albert

2015-01-01

to implement in nanostructures. Here, an artificial mixed ionic electronic conducting oxide is fabricated by grain boundary (GB) engineering thin films of La0.8Sr0.2MnO3+δ. This electronic conductor is converted into a good mixed ionic electronic conductor

Implementation and use of cloud-based electronic lab notebook in a bioprocess engineering teaching laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Riley, Erin M; Hattaway, Holly Z; Felse, P Arthur

2017-01-01

Electronic lab notebooks (ELNs) are better equipped than paper lab notebooks (PLNs) to handle present-day life science and engineering experiments that generate large data sets and require high levels of data integrity. But limited training and a lack of workforce with ELN knowledge have restricted the use of ELN in academic and industry research laboratories which still rely on cumbersome PLNs for recordkeeping. We used LabArchives, a cloud-based ELN in our bioprocess engineering lab course to train students in electronic record keeping, good documentation practices (GDPs), and data integrity. Implementation of ELN in the bioprocess engineering lab course, an analysis of user experiences, and our development actions to improve ELN training are presented here. ELN improved pedagogy and learning outcomes of the lab course through stream lined workflow, quick data recording and archiving, and enhanced data sharing and collaboration. It also enabled superior data integrity, simplified information exchange, and allowed real-time and remote monitoring of experiments. Several attributes related to positive user experiences of ELN improved between the two subsequent years in which ELN was offered. Student responses also indicate that ELN is better than PLN for compliance. We demonstrated that ELN can be successfully implemented in a lab course with significant benefits to pedagogy, GDP training, and data integrity. The methods and processes presented here for ELN implementation can be adapted to many types of laboratory experiments.

Vertical and Horizontal Integration of Laboratory Curricula and Course Projects across the Electronic Engineering Technology Program

Science.gov (United States)

Zhan, Wei; Goulart, Ana; Morgan, Joseph A.; Porter, Jay R.

2011-01-01

This paper discusses the details of the curricular development effort with a focus on the vertical and horizontal integration of laboratory curricula and course projects within the Electronic Engineering Technology (EET) program at Texas A&M University. Both software and hardware aspects are addressed. A common set of software tools are…

Newnes electronics assembly pocket book

CERN Document Server

Brindley, Keith

2013-01-01

Produced in association with the Engineering Training Authority with contributions from dozens of people in the electronics industry. The material covers common skills in electrical and electronic engineering and concentrates mainly on wiring and assembly. 'Newnes Electronics Assembly Pocket Book' is for electronics technicians, students and apprentices.

Ecosystem engineering creates a direct nutritional link between 600-m deep cold-water coral mounds and surface productivity

Science.gov (United States)

Soetaert, Karline; Mohn, Christian; Rengstorf, Anna; Grehan, Anthony; van Oevelen, Dick

2016-10-01

Cold-water corals (CWCs) form large mounds on the seafloor that are hotspots of biodiversity in the deep sea, but it remains enigmatic how CWCs can thrive in this food-limited environment. Here, we infer from model simulations that the interaction between tidal currents and CWC-formed mounds induces downwelling events of surface water that brings organic matter to 600-m deep CWCs. This positive feedback between CWC growth on carbonate mounds and enhanced food supply is essential for their sustenance in the deep sea and represents an example of ecosystem engineering of unparalleled magnitude. This ’topographically-enhanced carbon pump’ leaks organic matter that settles at greater depths. The ubiquitous presence of biogenic and geological topographies along ocean margins suggests that carbon sequestration through this pump is of global importance. These results indicate that enhanced stratification and lower surface productivity, both expected consequences of climate change, may negatively impact the energy balance of CWCs.

Ecosystem Services Valuation of Lakeside Wetland Park beside Chaohu Lake in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tan Li

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Wetland ecosystems are one of the three great ecosystems on Earth. With a deepening of research on wetland ecosystems, researchers have paid more and more attention to wetland ecosystem services such as flood mitigation, climate control, pollution prevention, soil-erosion prevention, biodiversity maintenance, and bio-productivity protection. This study focuses on a lakeside wetland ecosystem in Hefei, a city in central China, and estimates the value of ecosystem services such as material production, air purification, water conservation, biodiversity, recreation, species conservation, education and scientific research. We adopted the market value method, carbon tax method, afforestation cost method, shadow engineering method and contingent value method (CVM using questionnaire survey data during the study period. The results show that the total value of the ecosystem services of Lakeside Wetland Park was 144 million CNY in 2015. Among these services, the value of society service is the maximum at 91.73 million CNY, followed by ecological service and material production service (42.23 million CNY and 10.43 billion CNY in 2015 respectively. When considering wetland ecosystems for economic development, other services must be considered in addition to material production to obtain a longer-term economic value. This research reveals that there is scope for more comprehensive and integrated model development, including multiple wetland ecosystem services and appropriate handling of wetland ecosystem management impacts.

A broadcast engineering tutorial for non-engineers

CERN Document Server

Pizzi, Skip

2014-01-01

A Broadcast Engineering Tutorial for Non-Engineers is the leading publication on the basics of broadcast technology. Whether you are new to the industry or do not have an engineering background, this book will give you a comprehensive primer of television, radio, and digital media relating to broadcast-it is your guide to understanding the technical world of radio and television broadcast engineering. It covers all the important topics such as DTV, IBOC, HD, standards, video servers, editing, electronic newsrooms, and more.

Engineering design of the interaction waveguide for high-power accelerator-driven microwave free-electron lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hopkins, D.B.; Clay, H.W.; Stallard, B.W.; Throop, A.L.; Listvinsky, G.; Makowski, M.A.

1989-01-01

Linear induction accelerators (LIAs) operating at beam energies of a few million electron volts and currents of a few thousand amperes are suitable drivers for free-electron lasers (FELs). Such lasers are capable of producing gigawatts of peak power and megawatts of average power at microwave frequencies. Such devices are being studied as possible power sources for future high-gradient accelerators and are being constructed for plasma heating applications. At high power levels, the engineering design of the interaction waveguide presents a challenge. This paper discusses several concerns, including electrical breakdown and metal fatigue limits, choice of material, and choice of operating propagation mode. 13 refs., 3 figs

Organic High Electron Mobility Transistors Realized by 2D Electron Gas.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Panlong; Wang, Haibo; Yan, Donghang

2017-09-01

A key breakthrough in inorganic modern electronics is the energy-band engineering that plays important role to improve device performance or develop novel functional devices. A typical application is high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), which utilizes 2D electron gas (2DEG) as transport channel and exhibits very high electron mobility over traditional field-effect transistors (FETs). Recently, organic electronics have made very rapid progress and the band transport model is demonstrated to be more suitable for explaining carrier behavior in high-mobility crystalline organic materials. Therefore, there emerges a chance for applying energy-band engineering in organic semiconductors to tailor their optoelectronic properties. Here, the idea of energy-band engineering is introduced and a novel device configuration is constructed, i.e., using quantum well structures as active layers in organic FETs, to realize organic 2DEG. Under the control of gate voltage, electron carriers are accumulated and confined at quantized energy levels, and show efficient 2D transport. The electron mobility is up to 10 cm 2 V -1 s -1 , and the operation mechanisms of organic HEMTs are also argued. Our results demonstrate the validity of tailoring optoelectronic properties of organic semiconductors by energy-band engineering, offering a promising way for the step forward of organic electronics. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Long-term ecosystem monitoring and change detection: the Sonoran initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Robert Lozar; Charles Ehlschlaeger

2005-01-01

Ecoregional Systems Heritage and Encroachment Monitoring (ESHEM) examines issues of land management at an ecosystem level using remote sensing. Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), in partnership with Western Illinois University, has developed an ecoregional database and monitoring capability covering the Sonoran region. The monitoring time horizon will...

Methodological Considerations in the Study of Earthworms in Forest Ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Dylan Rhea-Fournier; Grizelle Gonzalez

2017-01-01

Decades of studies have shown that soil macrofauna, especially earthworms, play dominant engineering roles in soils, affecting physical, chemical, and biological components of ecosystems. Quantifying these effects would allow crucial improvement in biogeochemical budgets and modeling, predicting response of land use and disturbance, and could be applied to...

Environmental Engineering in the Slovak Republic

Science.gov (United States)

Stevulova, N.; Balintova, M.; Zelenakova, M.; Estokova, A.; Vilcekova, S.

2017-10-01

The fundamental role of environmental engineering is to protect human population and environment from impacts of human activities and to ensure environmental quality. It relates to achieving the environmental sustainability goals through advanced technologies for pollutants removing from air, water and soil in order to minimize risk in ecosystem and ensuring favourable conditions for life of humans and organisms. Nowadays, a critical analysis of the environment quality and innovative approaches to problem solving in order to achieve sustainability in environmental engineering, are necessary. This article presents an overview of the quality of the environment and progress in environmental engineering in Slovakia and gives information regarding the environmental engineering education at Faculty of Civil Engineering at Technical University in Kosice.

Project based education as motivation factor in undergraduate program in Electronics at Copenhagen University College of Engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Friesel, Anna

2012-01-01

This paper summarizes the contents of our experience with project based courses and team work in the undergraduate program in Electronics. The main points of our program are described in this paper, where the leading idea is to combine theory with practical engineering projects. Our students work...

SOFA 2 Component Framework and Its Ecosystem

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Malohlava, M.; Hnětynka, P.; Bureš, Tomáš

2013-01-01

Roč. 295, 9 May (2013), s. 101-106 ISSN 1571-0661. [FESCA 2012. International Workshop on Formal Engineering approaches to Software Components and Architectures /9./. Tallinn, 31.03.2012] R&D Projects: GA ČR GD201/09/H057 Grant - others:GA AV ČR(CZ) GAP202/11/0312; UK(CZ) SVV-2012-265312 Keywords : CBSE * component system * component model * component * sofa * ecosystem * development tool Subject RIV: JC - Computer Hardware ; Software

Future trends in agricultural engineering.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jongebreur, A.A.; Speelman, L.

1997-01-01

Beside traditional mechanical engineering, other engineering branches such as electronics, control engineering and physics play their specific role within the agricultural engineering field. Agricultural engineering has affected and stimulated major changes in agriculture. In the last decades

Ecosystem-based coastal defence in the face of global change.

Science.gov (United States)

Temmerman, Stijn; Meire, Patrick; Bouma, Tjeerd J; Herman, Peter M J; Ysebaert, Tom; De Vriend, Huib J

2013-12-05

The risk of flood disasters is increasing for many coastal societies owing to global and regional changes in climate conditions, sea-level rise, land subsidence and sediment supply. At the same time, in many locations, conventional coastal engineering solutions such as sea walls are increasingly challenged by these changes and their maintenance may become unsustainable. We argue that flood protection by ecosystem creation and restoration can provide a more sustainable, cost-effective and ecologically sound alternative to conventional coastal engineering and that, in suitable locations, it should be implemented globally and on a large scale.

Software engineering beyond the project

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dittrich, Yvonne

2014-01-01

Context The main part of software engineering methods, tools and technologies has developed around projects as the central organisational form of software development. A project organisation depends on clear bounds regarding scope, participants, development effort and lead-time. What happens when...... of traditional software engineering, but makes perfect sense, considering that the frame of reference for product development is not a project but continuous innovation across the respective ecosystem. The article provides a number of concrete points for further research....

Ecosystem-based management and the wealth of ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Yun, Seong Do; Hutniczak, Barbara; Abbott, Joshua K.; Fenichel, Eli P.

2017-01-01

We merge inclusive wealth theory with ecosystem-based management (EBM) to address two challenges in the science of sustainable management of ecosystems. First, we generalize natural capital theory to approximate realized shadow prices for multiple interacting natural capital stocks (species) making up an ecosystem. These prices enable ecosystem components to be better included in wealth-based sustainability measures. We show that ecosystems are best envisioned as portfolios of assets, where the portfolio’s performance depends on the performance of the underlying assets influenced by their interactions. Second, changes in ecosystem wealth provide an attractive headline index for EBM, regardless of whether ecosystem wealth is ultimately included in a broader wealth index. We apply our approach to the Baltic Sea ecosystem, focusing on the interacting community of three commercially important fish species: cod, herring, and sprat. Our results incorporate supporting services embodied in the shadow price of a species through its trophic interactions. Prey fish have greater shadow prices than expected based on market value, and predatory fish have lower shadow prices than expected based on market value. These results are because correctly measured shadow prices reflect interdependence and limits to substitution. We project that ecosystem wealth in the Baltic Sea fishery ecosystem generally increases conditional on the EBM-inspired multispecies maximum sustainable yield management beginning in 2017, whereas continuing the current single-species management generally results in declining wealth. PMID:28588145

Ecosystem-based management and the wealth of ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Yun, Seong Do; Hutniczak, Barbara; Abbott, Joshua K; Fenichel, Eli P

2017-06-20

We merge inclusive wealth theory with ecosystem-based management (EBM) to address two challenges in the science of sustainable management of ecosystems. First, we generalize natural capital theory to approximate realized shadow prices for multiple interacting natural capital stocks (species) making up an ecosystem. These prices enable ecosystem components to be better included in wealth-based sustainability measures. We show that ecosystems are best envisioned as portfolios of assets, where the portfolio's performance depends on the performance of the underlying assets influenced by their interactions. Second, changes in ecosystem wealth provide an attractive headline index for EBM, regardless of whether ecosystem wealth is ultimately included in a broader wealth index. We apply our approach to the Baltic Sea ecosystem, focusing on the interacting community of three commercially important fish species: cod, herring, and sprat. Our results incorporate supporting services embodied in the shadow price of a species through its trophic interactions. Prey fish have greater shadow prices than expected based on market value, and predatory fish have lower shadow prices than expected based on market value. These results are because correctly measured shadow prices reflect interdependence and limits to substitution. We project that ecosystem wealth in the Baltic Sea fishery ecosystem generally increases conditional on the EBM-inspired multispecies maximum sustainable yield management beginning in 2017, whereas continuing the current single-species management generally results in declining wealth.

First-year Engineering Education with the Creative Electrical Engineering Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Tsukamoto, Takehiko; Sugito, Tetsumasa; Ozeki, Osamu; Ushiroda, Sumio

The Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in Toyota National College of Technology has put great emphasis on fundamental subjects. We introduced the creative electrical engineering laboratory into the first-year engineering education since 1998. The laboratory concentrates on the practice exercise. The final questionnaire of students showed that our first-year education is very effective to promote students motivation and their scholastic ability in engineering.

Optimising the cam profile of an electronic unit pump for a heavy-duty diesel engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiu, Tao; Dai, Hefei; Lei, Yan; Cao, Chunlei; Li, Xuchu

2015-01-01

For a fuel system with a tangent cam or a constant-velocity cam, the peak injection pressure continues to rise as the injection duration increases, but overly high peak pressures induce mechanical loads and wear, limiting the maximum engine speed and injection quantity. To improve the performance of an EUP (Electronic Unit Pump) fuel system for heavy-duty diesel engines, this work proposes a new pump cam, namely the constant-pressure cam. It helps the EUP run at a higher speed and deliver larger fuel quantities while maintaining a constant peak injection pressure, which improves the power of the heavy-duty diesel engine. A model based on the EUP was built to determine the three constraints for optimising the constant-pressure cam: 1) the pump pressure should equal the nozzle pressure; 2) the cam speed should decrease with the increase in the injection duration; and 3) the cam acceleration gradient should be zero. An EUP system was tested with the tangent cam and the optimised cam under different conditions. The experimental results show that the EUP system with the optimised cam delivers more injection quantity and runs at higher engine speeds while maintaining the same peak pressure as the tangent cam. - Highlights: • We propose a constant-pressure cam to improve the power of heavy-duty diesel engine. • We deduce three constraints for the CP (constant-peak pressure) cam based on a model. • The EUP system with the new cam works well under higher engine speed. • The peak pressure of the constant-pressure cam fuel system maintains high

Flat-panel electronic displays: a triumph of physics, chemistry and engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Hilsum, Cyril

2010-03-13

This paper describes the history and science behind the development of modern flat-panel displays, and assesses future trends. Electronic displays are an important feature of modern life. For many years the cathode ray tube, an engineering marvel, was universal, but its shape was cumbersome and its operating voltage too high. The need for a flat-panel display, working at a low voltage, became imperative, and much research has been applied to this need. Any versatile flat-panel display will exploit an electro-optical effect, a transparent conductor and an addressing system to deliver data locally. The first need is to convert an electrical signal into a visible change. Two methods are available, the first giving emission of light, the second modulating ambient illumination. The most useful light-emitting media are semiconductors, historically exploiting III-V or II-VI compounds, but more recently organic or polymer semiconductors. Another possible effect uses gas plasma discharges. The modulating, or subtractive, effects that have been studied include liquid crystals, electrophoresis, electrowetting and electrochromism. A transparent conductor makes it possible to apply a voltage to an extended area while observing the results. The design is a compromise, since the free electrons that carry current also absorb light. The first materials used were metals, but some semiconductors, when heavily doped, give a better balance, with high transmission for a low resistance. Delivering data unambiguously to a million or so picture elements across the display area is no easy task. The preferred solution is an amorphous silicon thin-film transistor deposited at each cross-point in an X-Y matrix. Success in these endeavours has led to many applications for flat-panel displays, including television, flexible displays, electronic paper, electronic books and advertising signs.

Ecosystem-based management objectives for the North Sea: riding the forage fish rollercoaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dickey-Collas, Mark; Engelhard, Georg H.; Rindorf, Anna

2014-01-01

The North Sea provides a useful model for considering forage fish (FF) within ecosystem-based management as it has a complex assemblage of FF species. This paper is designed to encourage further debate and dialogue between stakeholders about management objectives. Changing the management...... whether maintaining the reserves of prey biomass or a more integral approach of monitoring mortality rates across the trophic system is more robust under the ecosystem approach. In terms of trophic energy transfer, stability, and resilience of the ecosystem, FF should be considered as both a sized-based...... pool of biomass and as species components of the system by managers and modellers. Policy developers should not consider the knowledge base robust enough to embark on major projects of ecosystem engineering. Management plans appear able to maintain sustainable exploitation in the short term. Changes...

Technician Career Opportunities in Engineering Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Engineers' Council for Professional Development, New York, NY.

Career opportunities for engineering technicians are available in the technologies relating to air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration, aviation and aerospace, building construction, chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, electronics, industrial engineering, instrumentation, internal combustion engines, mechanical…

Dam construction as an engineering solution for water supply problem : environmental thrusts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hosseini, A.H. [Alberta Univ., Edmonton, AB (Canada). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering

2004-09-01

Water supply management and the potential impacts associated with engineering practices in water supply systems were examined. Global aspects of increasing water demand were presented and compared with populations, urbanization and water demand. Engineering practices in waterworks developments such as dam construction, river intakes, infiltration galleries, wells, boreholes and adits were also discussed. Construction of large dams and the problems associated with damming the rivers were studied as large dams generally have substantial impacts on rivers, watersheds and aquatic ecosystems, leading to the irreversible loss of species populations and ecosystems. These problems include negative impacts on the terrestrial ecosystem, greenhouse gas emissions from reservoirs due to decaying vegetation and carbon inflows from the catchment, changes in flow regimes, trapping of sediments and nutrients behind a dam, blocking migration of aquatic organisms, as well as negative impacts on flood plain ecosystems and fisheries. In addition, a case study, on the environmental impacts associated with damming in Three Gorges Valley in China was presented. 9 refs., 8 figs.

Sessile macro-epibiotic community of solitary ascidians, ecosystem engineers in soft substrates of Potter Cove, Antarctica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clara Rimondino

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The muddy bottoms of inner Potter Cove, King George Island (Isla 25 de Mayo, South Shetlands, Antarctica, show a high density and richness of macrobenthic species, particularly ascidians. In other areas, ascidians have been reported to play the role of ecosystem engineers, as they support a significant number of epibionts, increasing benthic diversity. In this study, a total of 21 sessile macro-epibiotic taxa present on the ascidian species Corella antarctica Sluiter, 1905, Cnemidocarpa verrucosa (Lesson, 1830 and Molgula pedunculata Herdman, 1881 were identified, with Bryozoa being the most diverse. There were differences between the three ascidian species in terms of richness, percent cover and diversity of sessile macro-epibionts. The morphological characteristics of the tunic surface, the available area for colonization (and its relation with the age of the basibiont individuals and the pH of the ascidian tunic seem to explain the observed differences. Recent environmental changes in the study area (increase of suspended particulate matter caused by glaciers retreat have been related to observed shifts in the benthic community structure, negatively affecting the abundance and distribution of the studied ascidian species. Considering the diversity of sessile macro-epibionts found on these species, the impact of environmental shifts may be greater than that estimated so far.

Impacts of Permafrost on Infrastructure and Ecosystem Services

Science.gov (United States)

Trochim, E.; Schuur, E.; Schaedel, C.; Kelly, B. P.

2017-12-01

The Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) program developed knowledge pyramids as a tool for advancing scientific understanding and making this information accessible for decision makers. Knowledge pyramids are being used to synthesize, curate and disseminate knowledge of changing land ice, sea ice, and permafrost in the Arctic. Each pyramid consists of a one-two page summary brief in broadly accessible language and literature organized by levels of detail including synthesizes and scientific building blocks. Three knowledge pyramids have been produced related to permafrost on carbon, infrastructure, and ecosystem services. Each brief answers key questions with high societal relevance framed in policy-relevant terms. The knowledge pyramids concerning infrastructure and ecosystem services were developed in collaboration with researchers specializing in the specific topic areas in order to identify the most pertinent issues and accurately communicate information for integration into policy and planning. For infrastructure, the main issue was the need to build consensus in the engineering and science communities for developing improved methods for incorporating data applicable to building infrastructure on permafrost. In ecosystem services, permafrost provides critical landscape properties which affect basic human needs including fuel and drinking water availability, access to hunting and harvest, and fish and wildlife habitat. Translating these broad and complex topics necessitated a systematic and iterative approach to identifying key issues and relating them succinctly to the best state of the art research. The development of the knowledge pyramids provoked collaboration and synthesis across distinct research and engineering communities. The knowledge pyramids also provide a solid basis for policy development and the format allows the content to be regularly updated as the research community advances.

Gradient ascent pulse engineering approach to CNOT gates in donor electron spin quantum computing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsai, D.-B.; Goan, H.-S.

2008-01-01

In this paper, we demonstrate how gradient ascent pulse engineering (GRAPE) optimal control methods can be implemented on donor electron spin qubits in semiconductors with an architecture complementary to the original Kane's proposal. We focus on the high fidelity controlled-NOT (CNOT) gate and we explicitly find the digitized control sequences for a controlled-NOT gate by optimizing its fidelity using the effective, reduced donor electron spin Hamiltonian with external controls over the hyperfine A and exchange J interactions. We then simulate the CNOT-gate sequence with the full spin Hamiltonian and find that it has an error of 10 -6 that is below the error threshold of 10 -4 required for fault-tolerant quantum computation. Also the CNOT gate operation time of 100 ns is 3 times faster than 297 ns of the proposed global control scheme.

Electronic structure engineering in silicene via atom substitution and a new two-dimensional Dirac structure Si3C

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Na; Dai, Ying; Wei, Wei; Huang, Baibiao

2018-04-01

A lot of efforts have been made towards the band gap opening in two-dimensional silicene, the silicon version of graphene. In the present work, the electronic structures of single atom doped (B, N, Al and P) and codoped (B/N and Al/P) silicene monolayers are systematically examined on the base of density functional electronic calculations. Our results demonstrate that single atom doping can realize electron or hole doping in the silicene; while codoping, due to the syergistic effects, results in finite band gap in silicene at the Dirac point without significantly degrading the electronic properties. In addition, the characteristic of band gap shows dependence on the doping concentration. Importantly, we predict a new two-dimensional Dirac structure, the graphene-like Si3C, which also shows linear band dispersion relation around the Fermi level. Our results demonstrates an important perspective to engineer the electronic and optical properties of silicene.

Forest disturbance by an ecosystem engineer: beaver in boreal forest landscapes

OpenAIRE

Nummi, Petri; Kuuluvainen, Timo

2013-01-01

Natural disturbances are important for forest ecosystem dynamics and maintenance of biodiversity. In the boreal forest, large-scale disturbances such as wildfires and windstorms have been emphasized, while disturbance agents acting at smaller scales have received less attention. Especially in Europe beavers have long been neglected as forest disturbance agents because they were extirpated from most of their range centuries ago. However, now they are returning to many parts of their former dis...

Newnes electronics engineers pocket book

CERN Document Server

Brindley, Keith

2013-01-01

This book is packed with information and material which everyone involved in electronics will find indispensable. Now when you need to know a transistor's characteristics, or an integrated circuit's pinout details, simply look it up! The book is full of tables, symbols, formulae, conversions and illustrations.Promotion via the new Newnes Pocket Book catalogue to the electronics trade will drive sales into the book trade Covers component data; encapsulations; pin-outs; symbols & codings Extensive material on conversion factors, formulae; units and relationships

Ecosystem Vulnerability Review: Proposal of an Interdisciplinary Ecosystem Assessment Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Weißhuhn, Peter; Müller, Felix; Wiggering, Hubert

2018-06-01

To safeguard the sustainable use of ecosystems and their services, early detection of potentially damaging changes in functional capabilities is needed. To support a proper ecosystem management, the analysis of an ecosystem's vulnerability provide information on its weaknesses as well as on its capacity to recover after suffering an impact. However, the application of the vulnerability concept to ecosystems is still an emerging topic. After providing background on the vulnerability concept, we summarize existing ecosystem vulnerability research on the basis of a systematic literature review with a special focus on ecosystem type, disciplinary background, and more detailed definition of the ecosystem vulnerability components. Using the Web of ScienceTM Core Collection, we overviewed the literature from 1991 onwards but used the 5 years from 2011 to 2015 for an in-depth analysis, including 129 articles. We found that ecosystem vulnerability analysis has been applied most notably in conservation biology, climate change research, and ecological risk assessments, pinpointing a limited spreading across the environmental sciences. It occurred primarily within marine and freshwater ecosystems. To avoid confusion, we recommend using the unambiguous term ecosystem vulnerability rather than ecological, environmental, population, or community vulnerability. Further, common ground has been identified, on which to define the ecosystem vulnerability components exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. We propose a framework for ecosystem assessments that coherently connects the concepts of vulnerability, resilience, and adaptability as different ecosystem responses. A short outlook on the possible operationalization of the concept by ecosystem vulnerabilty indices, and a conclusion section complete the review.

Preface: Ecosystem services, ecosystem health and human communities

Science.gov (United States)

Plag, Hans-Peter

2018-04-01

This special issue contains a collection of manuscripts that were originally intended to be included in the special issue on "Physics and Economics of Ecosystem Services Flows" (Volume 101, guest editors H. Su, J. Dong and S. Nagarajan) and "Biogeochemical Processes in the Changing Wetland Environment" (Volume 103, guest editors J. Bai, L. Huang and H. Gao). All of them are addressing issues related to ecosystem services in different settings. Ecosystem services are of high value for both the ecosystems and human communities, and understanding the impacts of environmental processes and human activities on ecosystems is of fundamental importance for the preservation of these services.

Same pattern, different mechanism: Locking onto the role of key species in seafloor ecosystem process.

Science.gov (United States)

Woodin, Sarah Ann; Volkenborn, Nils; Pilditch, Conrad A; Lohrer, Andrew M; Wethey, David S; Hewitt, Judi E; Thrush, Simon F

2016-05-27

Seafloor biodiversity is a key mediator of ecosystem functioning, but its role is often excluded from global budgets or simplified to black boxes in models. New techniques allow quantification of the behavior of animals living below the sediment surface and assessment of the ecosystem consequences of complex interactions, yielding a better understanding of the role of seafloor animals in affecting key processes like primary productivity. Combining predictions based on natural history, behavior of key benthic species and environmental context allow assessment of differences in functioning and process, even when the measured ecosystem property in different systems is similar. Data from three sedimentary systems in New Zealand illustrate this. Analysis of the behaviors of the infaunal ecosystem engineers in each system revealed three very different mechanisms driving ecosystem function: density and excretion, sediment turnover and surface rugosity, and hydraulic activities and porewater bioadvection. Integrative metrics of ecosystem function in some cases differentiate among the systems (gross primary production) and in others do not (photosynthetic efficiency). Analyses based on behaviors and activities revealed important ecosystem functional differences and can dramatically improve our ability to model the impact of stressors on ecosystem and global processes.

Elevating Learner Achievement Using Formative Electronic Lab Assessments in the Engineering Laboratory: A Viable Alternative to Weekly Lab Reports

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Baiyun; DeMara, Ronald F.; Salehi, Soheil; Hartshorne, Richard

2018-01-01

A laboratory pedagogy interweaving weekly student portfolios with onsite formative electronic laboratory assessments (ELAs) is developed and assessed within the laboratory component of a required core course of the electrical and computer engineering (ECE) undergraduate curriculum. The approach acts to promote student outcomes, and neutralize…

Match your innovation strategy to your innovation ecosystem.

Science.gov (United States)

Adner, Ron

2006-04-01

High-definition televisions should, by now, be a huge success. Philips, Sony, and Thompson invested billions of dollars to develop TV sets with astonishing picture quality. From a technology perspective, they've succeeded: Console manufacturers have been ready for the mass market since the early 1990s. Yet the category has been an unmitigated failure, not because of deficiencies, but because critical complements such as studio production equipment were not developed or adopted in time. Under-performing complements have left console producers in the position of offering a Ferrari in a world without gasoline or highways--an admirable engineering feat, but not one that creates value for customers. The HDTV story exemplifies the promise and peril of innovation ecosystems--the collaborative arrangements through which firms combine their individual offers into a coherent, customer-facing solution. When they work, innovation ecosystems allow companies to create value that no one firm could have created alone. The benefits of these systems are real. But for many organizations the attempt at ecosystem innovation has been a costly failure. This is because, along with new opportunities, innovation ecosystems also present a new set of risks that can brutally derail a firm's best efforts. Innovation ecosystems are characterized by three fundamental types of risk: initiative risks--the familiar uncertainties of managing a project; interdependence risks--the uncertainties of coordinating with complementary innovators; and integration risks--the uncertainties presented by the adoption process across the value chain. Firms that assess ecosystem risks holistically and systematically will be able to establish more realistic expectations, develop a more refined set of environmental contingencies, and arrive at a more robust innovation strategy. Collectively, these actions will lead to more effective implementation and more profitable innovation.

Ecosystem services as a common language for coastal ecosystem-based management.

Science.gov (United States)

Granek, Elise F; Polasky, Stephen; Kappel, Carrie V; Reed, Denise J; Stoms, David M; Koch, Evamaria W; Kennedy, Chris J; Cramer, Lori A; Hacker, Sally D; Barbier, Edward B; Aswani, Shankar; Ruckelshaus, Mary; Perillo, Gerardo M E; Silliman, Brian R; Muthiga, Nyawira; Bael, David; Wolanski, Eric

2010-02-01

Ecosystem-based management is logistically and politically challenging because ecosystems are inherently complex and management decisions affect a multitude of groups. Coastal ecosystems, which lie at the interface between marine and terrestrial ecosystems and provide an array of ecosystem services to different groups, aptly illustrate these challenges. Successful ecosystem-based management of coastal ecosystems requires incorporating scientific information and the knowledge and views of interested parties into the decision-making process. Estimating the provision of ecosystem services under alternative management schemes offers a systematic way to incorporate biogeophysical and socioeconomic information and the views of individuals and groups in the policy and management process. Employing ecosystem services as a common language to improve the process of ecosystem-based management presents both benefits and difficulties. Benefits include a transparent method for assessing trade-offs associated with management alternatives, a common set of facts and common currency on which to base negotiations, and improved communication among groups with competing interests or differing worldviews. Yet challenges to this approach remain, including predicting how human interventions will affect ecosystems, how such changes will affect the provision of ecosystem services, and how changes in service provision will affect the welfare of different groups in society. In a case study from Puget Sound, Washington, we illustrate the potential of applying ecosystem services as a common language for ecosystem-based management.

Ecosystem Services

Science.gov (United States)

Ecosystem goods and services are the many life-sustaining benefits we receive from nature and contribute to environmental and human health and well-being. Ecosystem-focused research will develop methods to measure ecosystem goods and services.

Engineering physics

CERN Document Server

Mukherji, Uma

2015-01-01

ENGINEERING PHYSICS is designed as a textbook for first year engineering students of a two semester course in Applied Physics according to new revised syllabus. However the scope of this book is not only limited to undergraduate engineering students and science students, it can also serve as a reference book for practicing scientists.Advanced technological topics like LCD, Squid, Maglev system, Electron microscopes, MRI, Photonics - Photonic fibre, Nano-particles, CNT, Quantum computing etc., are explained with basic underlying principles of Physics.This text explained following topics with numerous solved, unsolved problems and questions from different angles. Part-I contains crystal structure, Liquid crystal, Thermo-electric effect, Thermionic emission, Ultrasonic, Acoustics, semiconductor and magnetic materials. Whereas Part-2 contains Optics, X-rays, Electron optics, Dielectric materials, Quantum Physics and Schrodinger wave equation, Laser, Fibre-optics and Holography, Radio-activity, Super-conductivity,...

Low-Cost Virtual Laboratory Workbench for Electronic Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Achumba, Ifeyinwa E.; Azzi, Djamel; Stocker, James

2010-01-01

The laboratory component of undergraduate engineering education poses challenges in resource constrained engineering faculties. The cost, time, space and physical presence requirements of the traditional (real) laboratory approach are the contributory factors. These resource constraints may mitigate the acquisition of meaningful laboratory…

Teaching strategies applied to teaching computer networks in Engineering in Telecommunications and Electronics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elio Manuel Castañeda-González

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Because of the large impact that today computer networks, their study in related fields such as Telecommunications Engineering and Electronics is presented to the student with great appeal. However, by digging in content, lacking a strong practical component, you can make this interest decreases considerably. This paper proposes the use of teaching strategies and analogies, media and interactive applications that enhance the teaching of discipline networks and encourage their study. It is part of an analysis of how the teaching of the discipline process is performed and then a description of each of these strategies is done with their respective contribution to student learning.

Engineering Electromagnetics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Se Yun

2009-01-01

This book deals with engineering electromagnetics. It contains seven chapters, which treats understanding of engineering electromagnetics such as magnet and electron spin, current and a magnetic field and an electromagnetic wave, Essential tool for engineering electromagnetics on rector and scalar, rectangular coordinate system and curl vector, electrostatic field with coulomb rule and method of electric images, Biot-Savart law, Ampere law and magnetic force, Maxwell equation and an electromagnetic wave and reflection and penetration of electromagnetic plane wave.

SU-E-T-112: An OpenCL-Based Cross-Platform Monte Carlo Dose Engine (oclMC) for Coupled Photon-Electron Transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tian, Z; Shi, F; Folkerts, M; Qin, N; Jiang, S; Jia, X

2015-01-01

Purpose: Low computational efficiency of Monte Carlo (MC) dose calculation impedes its clinical applications. Although a number of MC dose packages have been developed over the past few years, enabling fast MC dose calculations, most of these packages were developed under NVidia’s CUDA environment. This limited their code portability to other platforms, hindering the introduction of GPU-based MC dose engines to clinical practice. To solve this problem, we developed a cross-platform fast MC dose engine named oclMC under OpenCL environment for external photon and electron radiotherapy. Methods: Coupled photon-electron simulation was implemented with standard analogue simulation scheme for photon transport and Class II condensed history scheme for electron transport. We tested the accuracy and efficiency of oclMC by comparing the doses calculated using oclMC and gDPM, a previously developed GPU-based MC code on NVidia GPU platform, for a 15MeV electron beam and a 6MV photon beam in a homogenous water phantom, a water-bone-lung-water slab phantom and a half-slab phantom. We also tested code portability of oclMC on different devices, including an NVidia GPU, two AMD GPUs and an Intel CPU. Results: Satisfactory agreements were observed in all photon and electron cases, with ∼0.48%–0.53% average dose differences at regions within 10% isodose line for electron beam cases and ∼0.15%–0.17% for photon beam cases. It took oclMC 3–4 sec to perform transport simulation for electron beam on NVidia Titan GPU and 35–51 sec for photon beam, both with ∼0.5% statistical uncertainty. The computation was 6%–17% slower than gDPM due to the differences in both physics model and development environment, which is considered not significant for clinical applications. In terms of code portability, gDPM only runs on NVidia GPUs, while oclMC successfully runs on all the tested devices. Conclusion: oclMC is an accurate and fast MC dose engine. Its high cross

SU-E-T-112: An OpenCL-Based Cross-Platform Monte Carlo Dose Engine (oclMC) for Coupled Photon-Electron Transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tian, Z; Shi, F; Folkerts, M; Qin, N; Jiang, S; Jia, X [The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Ctr, Dallas, TX (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: Low computational efficiency of Monte Carlo (MC) dose calculation impedes its clinical applications. Although a number of MC dose packages have been developed over the past few years, enabling fast MC dose calculations, most of these packages were developed under NVidia’s CUDA environment. This limited their code portability to other platforms, hindering the introduction of GPU-based MC dose engines to clinical practice. To solve this problem, we developed a cross-platform fast MC dose engine named oclMC under OpenCL environment for external photon and electron radiotherapy. Methods: Coupled photon-electron simulation was implemented with standard analogue simulation scheme for photon transport and Class II condensed history scheme for electron transport. We tested the accuracy and efficiency of oclMC by comparing the doses calculated using oclMC and gDPM, a previously developed GPU-based MC code on NVidia GPU platform, for a 15MeV electron beam and a 6MV photon beam in a homogenous water phantom, a water-bone-lung-water slab phantom and a half-slab phantom. We also tested code portability of oclMC on different devices, including an NVidia GPU, two AMD GPUs and an Intel CPU. Results: Satisfactory agreements were observed in all photon and electron cases, with ∼0.48%–0.53% average dose differences at regions within 10% isodose line for electron beam cases and ∼0.15%–0.17% for photon beam cases. It took oclMC 3–4 sec to perform transport simulation for electron beam on NVidia Titan GPU and 35–51 sec for photon beam, both with ∼0.5% statistical uncertainty. The computation was 6%–17% slower than gDPM due to the differences in both physics model and development environment, which is considered not significant for clinical applications. In terms of code portability, gDPM only runs on NVidia GPUs, while oclMC successfully runs on all the tested devices. Conclusion: oclMC is an accurate and fast MC dose engine. Its high cross

Quality Measures for Digital Business Ecosystems Formation

Science.gov (United States)

Raza, Muhammad; Hussain, Farookh Khadeer; Chang, Elizabeth

To execute a complex business task, business entities may need to collaborate with each other as individually they may not have the capability or willingness to perform the task on its own. Such collaboration can be seen implemented in digital business ecosystems in the form of simple coalitions using multi-agent systems or by employing Electronic Institutions. A major challenge is choosing optimal partners who will deliver the agreed commitments, and act in the coalition’s interest. Business entities are scaled according to their quality level. Determining the quality of previously unknown business entities and predicting the quality of such an entity in a dynamic environment are crucial issues in Business Ecosystems. A comprehensive quality management system grounded in the concepts of Trust and Reputation can help address these issues.

Measuring Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

OpenAIRE

Stam, F.C.

2017-01-01

How can entrepreneurial ecosystems and productive entrepreneurship can be traced empirically and how is entrepreneurship related to entrepreneurial ecosystems. The analyses in this chapter show the value of taking a systems view on the context of entrepreneurship. We measure entrepreneurial ecosystem elements and use these to compose an entrepreneurial ecosystem index. Next, we measure the output of entrepreneurial ecosystems with different indicators of high-growth firms. We use the 12 provi...

Modeling Engineered Nanomaterials (ENMs) Fate and Transport in Aquatic Ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to perform new chemical reviews of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) identified in pre-manufacture notices. However, environmental fate models developed for traditional contaminants...

Preliminary Performance Data on Westinghouse Electronic Power Regulator Operating on J34-WE-32 Turbojet Engine in Altitude Wind Tunnel

Science.gov (United States)

Ketchum, James R.; Blivas, Darnold; Pack, George J.

1950-01-01

The behavior of the Westinghouse electronic power regulator operating on a J34-WE-32 turbojet engine was investigated in the NACA Lewis altitude wind tunnel at the request of the Bureau of Aeronautics, Department of the Navy. The object of the program was to determine the, steady-state stability and transient characteristics of the engine under control at various altitudes and ram pressure ratios, without afterburning. Recordings of the response of the following parameters to step changes in power lever position throughout the available operating range of the engine were obtained; ram pressure ratio, compressor-discharge pressure, exhaust-nozzle area, engine speed, turbine-outlet temperature, fuel-valve position, jet thrust, air flow, turbine-discharge pressure, fuel flow, throttle position, and boost-pump pressure. Representative preliminary data showing the actual time response of these variables are presented. These data are presented in the form of reproductions of oscillographic traces.

Mapping Ecosystem Services

OpenAIRE

Georgiev,Teodor; Burkhard,Benjamin; Maes,Joachim

2017-01-01

Ecosystem services are the contributions of ecosystem structure and function (in combination with other inputs) to human well-being. That means, humankind is strongly dependent on well-functioning ecosystems and natural capital that are the base for a constant flow of ecosystem services from nature to society. Therefore ecosystem services have the potential to become a major tool for policy and decision making on global, national, regional and local scales. Possible applications are manifold:...

Reduction of secondary electron yield for E-cloud mitigation by laser ablation surface engineering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valizadeh, R., E-mail: reza.valizadeh@stfc.ac.uk [ASTeC, STFC Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington WA4 4AD (United Kingdom); Malyshev, O.B. [ASTeC, STFC Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington WA4 4AD (United Kingdom); Wang, S. [ASTeC, STFC Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington WA4 4AD (United Kingdom); Department of Physics, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU (United Kingdom); Sian, T. [ASTeC, STFC Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington WA4 4AD (United Kingdom); The Photon Science Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Cropper, M.D. [Department of Physics, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU (United Kingdom); Sykes, N. [Micronanics Ltd., Didcot, Oxon OX11 0QX (United Kingdom)

2017-05-15

Highlights: • SEY below 1 can be achieved with Laser ablation surface engineering. • SEY <1 surface can be produced with different types of nanosecond lasers. • Both microstructure (groves) and nano-structures are playing a role in reducing SEY. - Abstract: Developing a surface with low Secondary Electron Yield (SEY) is one of the main ways of mitigating electron cloud and beam-induced electron multipacting in high-energy charged particle accelerators. In our previous publications, a low SEY < 0.9 for as-received metal surfaces modified by a nanosecond pulsed laser was reported. In this paper, the SEY of laser-treated blackened copper has been investigated as a function of different laser irradiation parameters. We explore and study the influence of micro- and nano-structures induced by laser surface treatment in air of copper samples as a function of various laser irradiation parameters such as peak power, laser wavelength (λ = 355 nm and 1064 nm), number of pulses per point (scan speed and repetition rate) and fluence, on the SEY. The surface chemical composition was determined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) which revealed that heating resulted in diffusion of oxygen into the bulk and induced the transformation of CuO to sub-stoichiometric oxide. The surface topography was examined with high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) which showed that the laser-treated surfaces are dominated by microstructure grooves and nanostructure features.

An Underground Revolution: Biodiversity and Soil Ecological Engineering for Agricultural Sustainability.

Science.gov (United States)

Bender, S Franz; Wagg, Cameron; van der Heijden, Marcel G A

2016-06-01

Soil organisms are an integral component of ecosystems, but their activities receive little recognition in agricultural management strategies. Here we synthesize the potential of soil organisms to enhance ecosystem service delivery and demonstrate that soil biodiversity promotes multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously (i.e., ecosystem multifunctionality). We apply the concept of ecological intensification to soils and we develop strategies for targeted exploitation of soil biological traits. We compile promising approaches to enhance agricultural sustainability through the promotion of soil biodiversity and targeted management of soil community composition. We present soil ecological engineering as a concept to generate human land-use systems, which can serve immediate human needs while minimizing environmental impacts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prairie strips improve biodiversity and the delivery of multiple ecosystem services from corn-soybean croplands

Science.gov (United States)

Losses of biodiversity and ecosystem services from industrial agricultural lands are persistent and growing challenges in the United States despite decades of spending on natural resource management. Most investments have been targeted toward engineered practices (e.g., sediment control basins, terr...

Ecosystem Jenga!

Science.gov (United States)

Umphlett, Natalie; Brosius, Tierney; Laungani, Ramesh; Rousseau, Joe; Leslie-Pelecky, Diandra L.

2009-01-01

To give students a tangible model of an ecosystem and have them experience what could happen if a component of that ecosystem were removed; the authors developed a hands-on, inquiry-based activity that visually demonstrates the concept of a delicately balanced ecosystem through a modification of the popular game Jenga. This activity can be…

Alpine ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

P.W. Rundel; C.I. Millar

2016-01-01

Alpine ecosystems are typically defined as those areas occurring above treeline, while recognizing that alpine ecosystems at a local scale may be found below this boundary for reasons including geology, geomorphology, and microclimate. The lower limit of the alpine ecosystems, the climatic treeline, varies with latitude across California, ranging from about 3500 m in...

About the information depth of backscattered electron imaging

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Piňos, Jakub; Mikmeková, Šárka; Frank, Luděk

2017-01-01

Roč. 266, č. 3 (2017), s. 335-342 ISSN 0022-2720 Institutional support: RVO:68081731 Keywords : backscattered electrons * information depth * penetration of electrons Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering OBOR OECD: Materials engineering Impact factor: 1.692, year: 2016

Body condition, diet and ecosystem function of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in a fenced nature reserve

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fløjgaard, Camilla; De Barba, Marta; Taberlet, Pierre

2017-01-01

is therefore relevant to increase understanding of herbivores' ecosystem function and to inform management. In this study, we focused on red deer, Cervus elaphus, in a fenced nature reserve in Denmark, where the deer are managed as ecosystem engineers to contribute to biodiversity conservation. We measured...... on variation in body condition within the population. Our findings call for the need to consider the consequences of management practices, including culling or supplemental feeding, on the outcomes of habitat restoration, and more broadly underline the importance of preserving the overall breath of herbivore...... ecosystem functions for effective biodiversity conservation....

Electronics and Telemetry Engineering and Test Facility

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Electronics Laboratory is a fully equipped facility providing the capability to support electronic product development from highly complex weapon system sensors,...

Bat Habitat Restoration and Management Opportunities on Corps of Engineers Projects

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2000-01-01

.... Although bats have not traditionally been addressed in Corps of Engineers planning and natural resources management efforts, the recent focus on ecosystem management and inclusion of nongame species...

Semiconductor Physical Electronics

CERN Document Server

Li, Sheng

2006-01-01

Semiconductor Physical Electronics, Second Edition, provides comprehensive coverage of fundamental semiconductor physics that is essential to an understanding of the physical and operational principles of a wide variety of semiconductor electronic and optoelectronic devices. This text presents a unified and balanced treatment of the physics, characterization, and applications of semiconductor materials and devices for physicists and material scientists who need further exposure to semiconductor and photonic devices, and for device engineers who need additional background on the underlying physical principles. This updated and revised second edition reflects advances in semicondutor technologies over the past decade, including many new semiconductor devices that have emerged and entered into the marketplace. It is suitable for graduate students in electrical engineering, materials science, physics, and chemical engineering, and as a general reference for processing and device engineers working in the semicondi...

Strategic ecosystems of Colombia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marquez Calle German

2002-01-01

The author relates the ecosystems in Colombia, he makes a relationship between ecosystems and population, utility of the ecosystems, transformation of the ecosystems and poverty and he shows a methodology of identification of strategic ecosystems

Newnes electronics toolkit

CERN Document Server

Phillips, Geoff

2013-01-01

Newnes Electronics Toolkit brings together fundamental facts, concepts, and applications of electronic components and circuits, and presents them in a clear, concise, and unambiguous format, to provide a reference book for engineers. The book contains 10 chapters that discuss the following concepts: resistors, capacitors, inductors, semiconductors, circuit concepts, electromagnetic compatibility, sound, light, heat, and connections. The engineer's job does not end when the circuit diagram is completed; the design for the manufacturing process is just as important if volume production is to be

Global warming considerations in northern Boreal forest ecosystems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slaughter, C.W.

1993-01-01

The northern boreal forests of circumpolar lands are of special significance to questions of global climate change. Throughout its range, these forests are characterized by a relatively few tree species, although they may exhibit great spatial heterogeneity. Their ecosystems are simpler than temperate systems, and ecosystem processes are strongly affected by interactions between water, the landscape, and the biota. Northern boreal forest vegetation patterns are strongly influenced by forest fires, and distribution of forest generally coincides with occurrence of permafrost. Boreal forest landscapes are extremely sensitive to thermal disruption; global warming may result in lasting thermal and physical degradation of soils, altered rates and patterns of vegetation succession, and damage to engineered structures. A change in fire severity and frequency is also a significant concern. The total carbon pool of boreal forests and their associated peatlands is significant on a global scale; this carbon may amount to 10-20% of the global carbon pool. A change in latitudinal or elevational treeline has been suggested as a probable consequence of global warming. More subtle aspects of boreal forest ecosystems which may be affected by global warming include the depth of the active soil layer, the hydrologic cycle, and biological attributes of boreal stream systems. 48 refs., 2 figs

Microbial ecology-based engineering of Microbial Electrochemical Technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Koch, Christin; Korth, Benjamin; Harnisch, Falk

2018-01-01

Microbial ecology is devoted to the understanding of dynamics, activity and interaction of microorganisms in natural and technical ecosystems. Bioelectrochemical systems represent important technical ecosystems, where microbial ecology is of highest importance for their function. However, whereas aspects of, for example, materials and reactor engineering are commonly perceived as highly relevant, the study and engineering of microbial ecology are significantly underrepresented in bioelectrochemical systems. This shortfall may be assigned to a deficit on knowledge and power of these methods as well as the prerequisites for their thorough application. This article discusses not only the importance of microbial ecology for microbial electrochemical technologies but also shows which information can be derived for a knowledge-driven engineering. Instead of providing a comprehensive list of techniques from which it is hard to judge the applicability and value of information for a respective one, this review illustrates the suitability of selected techniques on a case study. Thereby, best practice for different research questions is provided and a set of key questions for experimental design, data acquisition and analysis is suggested. © 2017 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

Transformation of Digital Ecosystems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henningsson, Stefan; Hedman, Jonas

2014-01-01

the Digital Ecosystem Technology Transformation (DETT) framework for explaining technology-based transformation of digital ecosystems by integrating theories of business and technology ecosystems. The framework depicts ecosystem transformation as distributed and emergent from micro-, meso-, and macro- level......In digital ecosystems, the fusion relation between business and technology means that the decision of technical compatibility of the offering is also the decision of how to position the firm relative to the coopetive relations that characterize business ecosystems. In this article we develop...... coopetition. The DETT framework consists an alternative to the existing explanations of digital ecosystem transformation as the rational management of one central actor balancing ecosystem tensions. We illustrate the use of the framework by a case study of transformation in the digital payment ecosystem...

Green Turning Brown - Domain Engineering for Social and Health Services in Finland.

Science.gov (United States)

Suomi, Reima; Nykänen, Pirkko; Vepsäläinen, Tapio; Hiltunen, Riina

2017-01-01

Being able to design information systems to an untouched domain, without the burden of existing information systems, especially legacy systems, is often seen as a dream of most information system professionals. Uncharted domains are anyway scarce, and often such greenfield projects turn into brownfield projects, also to projects where existing structures severely constrain the development of new systems. In this article we discuss the concepts of greenfield and brownfield domain engineering and software development, and reflect their possible messages to the re-engineering of the Finnish health- and social care ecosystem currently under way. In our fieldwork we could identify a lot of need and wish for greenfield domain engineering in the Finnish health and social services delivery. As well we found a lot of brownfield elements inhibiting change. Our proposal for the future is a ecosystem approach, where new and established elements could live together in a self-governed balance.

Continuous CS Analysis of Using the SIEM to Introduction to Computer Programming Education in the School of Engineering Evening Division at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Dohi, Shinichi; Miyakawa, Osamu; Konno, Noriko

In order to improve students’ motivation, the SIEM (School of Information Environment Method) which is the education method for the introduction of the computer programming education was developed. We focus on students’ motivation, and we have measured students’ motivation as the educational effects. After the SIEM was developed in the School of Information Environment, it applied to introduction to the computer programming education in the School of Engineering Evening Division at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. It is effective for the improvement of students’ motivation. By adding the Customer Satisfaction Analysis to the SIEM Analysis, it was able to clarify the priority level of the SIEM assessment item. In this paper, we describe results of the Customer Satisfaction Analysis.

Fishing for ecosystem services.

Science.gov (United States)

Pope, Kevin L; Pegg, Mark A; Cole, Nicholas W; Siddons, Stephen F; Fedele, Alexis D; Harmon, Brian S; Ruskamp, Ryan L; Turner, Dylan R; Uerling, Caleb C

2016-12-01

Ecosystems are commonly exploited and manipulated to maximize certain human benefits. Such changes can degrade systems, leading to cascading negative effects that may be initially undetected, yet ultimately result in a reduction, or complete loss, of certain valuable ecosystem services. Ecosystem-based management is intended to maintain ecosystem quality and minimize the risk of irreversible change to natural assemblages of species and to ecosystem processes while obtaining and maintaining long-term socioeconomic benefits. We discuss policy decisions in fishery management related to commonly manipulated environments with a focus on influences to ecosystem services. By focusing on broader scales, managing for ecosystem services, and taking a more proactive approach, we expect sustainable, quality fisheries that are resilient to future disturbances. To that end, we contend that: (1) management always involves tradeoffs; (2) explicit management of fisheries for ecosystem services could facilitate a transition from reactive to proactive management; and (3) adaptive co-management is a process that could enhance management for ecosystem services. We propose adaptive co-management with an ecosystem service framework where actions are implemented within ecosystem boundaries, rather than political boundaries, through strong interjurisdictional relationships. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Electronic components

CERN Document Server

Colwell, Morris A

1976-01-01

Electronic Components provides a basic grounding in the practical aspects of using and selecting electronics components. The book describes the basic requirements needed to start practical work on electronic equipment, resistors and potentiometers, capacitance, and inductors and transformers. The text discusses semiconductor devices such as diodes, thyristors and triacs, transistors and heat sinks, logic and linear integrated circuits (I.C.s) and electromechanical devices. Common abbreviations applied to components are provided. Constructors and electronics engineers will find the book useful

Ecosystem degradation in India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinha, B.N.

1990-01-01

Environmental and ecosystem studies have assumed greater relevance in the last decade of the twentieth century than even before. The urban settlements are becoming over-crowded and industries are increasingly polluting the air, water and sound in our larger metropolises. Degradation of different types of ecosystem are discussed in this book, Ecosystem Degradation in India. The book has been divided into seven chapters: Introduction, Coastal and Delta Ecosystem, River Basin Ecosystem, Mountain Ecosystem, Forest Ecosystem, Urban Ecosystem and the last chapter deals with the Environmental Problems and Planning. In the introduction the environmental and ecosystem degradation problems in India is highlighted as a whole while in other chapters mostly case studies by experts who know their respective terrain very intimately are included. The case study papers cover most part of India and deal with local problems, stretching from east coast to west coast and from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. (author)

Electronic logic circuits

CERN Document Server

Gibson, J

2013-01-01

Most branches of organizing utilize digital electronic systems. This book introduces the design of such systems using basic logic elements as the components. The material is presented in a straightforward manner suitable for students of electronic engineering and computer science. The book is also of use to engineers in related disciplines who require a clear introduction to logic circuits. This third edition has been revised to encompass the most recent advances in technology as well as the latest trends in components and notation. It includes a wide coverage of application specific integrate

Proposal for future trend of engine mechatronics in marine diesel engines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Higashino, Ichiro; Higashi, Tadanori (Ashiya Univ., Hyogo (Japan))

1989-02-01

A future condition of engine mechatronics in the marine diesel engines was proposed. As a result of investigation, it was understood that the diesel engine, as mechatronicalized for the land plant use with an already high technology, is done for the marine use as an amplification of applying that for the land plant use. The marine diesel engine, if only maintaining the good performance in all the operating conditions, is low in mechatronicalized effect as compared with that for the land plant use. Particularly, there is no expectation of effect on the large ship. While as a reply to an inquiry to 100 enterprises, expectation, in the all automation electronic control, was of, in the order of expectation, reliability, automation, energy and labor saving, and anomaly diagnosis, which showed the most desired expectation to be of reliability. In other words, the reliability is presently one of the weakest points to apply the electronic control, which inversely requires the solution for the reliability. However there can be no expectation of decrease in fuel coat due to the mechatronicalization. 13 refs., 1 tab.

Spatial-temporal variation of ecosystem water use efficiency in Beijing’s suburban region

Science.gov (United States)

Mi, F.; Zhang, Q.; Zhang, X. C.; Yuan, S. B.; Lu, N.; Yan, N. Na

2017-08-01

Suburban ecosystem has multiple functions such as soil conservation and water regulation, which are critical for the welfare of human beings in the city. Water use efficiency (WUE) is an important indicator of ecosystem function that represents the amount of productivity per unit mass of evapotranspiration (ET). Improving WUE of suburban ecosystem is significant to climate regulation by carbon sequestration and water consumption, especially for cities with severe water shortage like Beijing, the capital of China. Based on remote sensing data, this paper examined the spatial and temporal variations in WUE in Beijing’s suburban region from 2002 to 2010. The results showed that the average annual WUE was 0.868 g C mm-1 m-2. It has large spatial variation with the minimum of 0.500 g C mm-1 m-2 in the Miyun District. During the study periods, the area with significant increasing trend of WUE was 63.2% of the total suburban region. In terms of ecosystem type, the value of WUE was following the sequence, deciduous coniferous forest (0.921g C mm-1 m-2) > mixed forest (0.887g C mm-1 m-2) > deciduous broadleaf forest (0.884 g C mm-1 m-2) > shrubland (0.860 g C mm-1 m-2) > evergreen coniferous forest (0.836 g C mm-1 m-2) > grassland (0.830 g C mm-1 m-2). As ET was similar among the ecosystems, the difference in WUE was mainly due to the discrepancy of NPP. We found that NPP significantly correlated with the diversity of ecosystem type (represented by Shannon-Wiener index). Our results suggest that ecological engineering construction, scientific ecosystem type selection, ecosystem diversity improvement and drought-resistant species cultivation are conductive to improve ecosystem WUE in Beijing’s suburban region.

Linking ecosystem characteristics to final ecosystem services for public policy

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Christina P; Jiang, Bo; Kinzig, Ann P; Lee, Kai N; Ouyang, Zhiyun

2015-01-01

Governments worldwide are recognising ecosystem services as an approach to address sustainability challenges. Decision-makers need credible and legitimate measurements of ecosystem services to evaluate decisions for trade-offs to make wise choices. Managers lack these measurements because of a data gap linking ecosystem characteristics to final ecosystem services. The dominant method to address the data gap is benefit transfer using ecological data from one location to estimate ecosystem services at other locations with similar land cover. However, benefit transfer is only valid once the data gap is adequately resolved. Disciplinary frames separating ecology from economics and policy have resulted in confusion on concepts and methods preventing progress on the data gap. In this study, we present a 10-step approach to unify concepts, methods and data from the disparate disciplines to offer guidance on overcoming the data gap. We suggest: (1) estimate ecosystem characteristics using biophysical models, (2) identify final ecosystem services using endpoints and (3) connect them using ecological production functions to quantify biophysical trade-offs. The guidance is strategic for public policy because analysts need to be: (1) realistic when setting priorities, (2) attentive to timelines to acquire relevant data, given resources and (3) responsive to the needs of decision-makers. PMID:25394857

Integrated water resources management using engineering measures

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Y.

2015-04-01

The management process of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) consists of aspects of policies/strategies, measures (engineering measures and non-engineering measures) and organizational management structures, etc., among which engineering measures such as reservoirs, dikes, canals, etc., play the backbone that enables IWRM through redistribution and reallocation of water in time and space. Engineering measures are usually adopted for different objectives of water utilization and water disaster prevention, such as flood control and drought relief. The paper discusses the planning and implementation of engineering measures in IWRM of the Changjiang River, China. Planning and implementation practices of engineering measures for flood control and water utilization, etc., are presented. Operation practices of the Three Gorges Reservoir, particularly the development and application of regulation rules for flood management, power generation, water supply, ecosystem needs and sediment issues (e.g. erosion and siltation), are also presented. The experience obtained in the implementation of engineering measures in Changjiang River show that engineering measures are vital for IWRM. However, efforts should be made to deal with changes of the river system affected by the operation of engineering measures, in addition to escalatory development of new demands associated with socio-economic development.

Integrated water resources management using engineering measures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Huang

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The management process of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM consists of aspects of policies/strategies, measures (engineering measures and non-engineering measures and organizational management structures, etc., among which engineering measures such as reservoirs, dikes, canals, etc., play the backbone that enables IWRM through redistribution and reallocation of water in time and space. Engineering measures are usually adopted for different objectives of water utilization and water disaster prevention, such as flood control and drought relief. The paper discusses the planning and implementation of engineering measures in IWRM of the Changjiang River, China. Planning and implementation practices of engineering measures for flood control and water utilization, etc., are presented. Operation practices of the Three Gorges Reservoir, particularly the development and application of regulation rules for flood management, power generation, water supply, ecosystem needs and sediment issues (e.g. erosion and siltation, are also presented. The experience obtained in the implementation of engineering measures in Changjiang River show that engineering measures are vital for IWRM. However, efforts should be made to deal with changes of the river system affected by the operation of engineering measures, in addition to escalatory development of new demands associated with socio-economic development.

VASCULAR PLANTS AS ENGINEERS OF OXYGEN IN AQUATIC SYSTEMS

Science.gov (United States)

The impact of organisms on oxygen is one of the most dramatic examples of ecosystem engineering on Earth. In aquatic systems, which have much lower oxygen concentrations than the atmosphere, vascular aquatic plants can affect oxygen concentrations significantly not only on long t...

Measures to increase the availability of electronic control units, illustrated by examples from power plant engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, R.

1976-01-01

The availibility of electric control units in the power plant engineering is increased by a decentralized construction, redundant current supply. miniaturized electronic modules, short-circuit-safe outputs, efficient protection of the wiring against over-voltage and intensive control of the afferent cables against wire break and short circuits. To reduce disturbing and damaging influences on the control multiple earthings should be avoided, the inductive coupling of distrubances should be reduced by parallel earth wires, and cable shields handled according to the prescriptions should reduce influences on the capacity. (orig.) [de

Towards ecosystem accounting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duku, C.; Rathjens, H.; Zwart, S.J.; Hein, L.

2015-01-01

Ecosystem accounting is an emerging field that aims to provide a consistent approach to analysing environment-economy interactions. One of the specific features of ecosystem accounting is the distinction between the capacity and the flow of ecosystem services. Ecohydrological modelling to support

The Ecosystem of Startups as a Component of the Innovation Ecosystem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sytnik Natalia I.

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The article analyzes the current theoretical perceptions of the ecosystem of startups and presents the author’s own vision of this entity. It has been proposed to consider the ecosystem of startups as a subsystem of the innovation ecosystem, which aims at creating innovative products and services by startup companies. The ecosystem of startups is an open dynamic system in which the backbone subject is a startup company at various stages of the life cycle. The sustenance subjects in an ecosystem are the organizations, associations and individuals that cause impacts, to varying degrees, on the establishing or development of startups. The activities of the subjects are carried out in the following directions: public regulation, financing, training, information, and infrastructure support for startups. The ecosystem consists of a number of economic, material-and-technical, market, and socio-cultural factors that directly or indirectly influence the actions of the subjects. The vital activity of the ecosystem of startups is maintained by the active interaction of the subjects, connected by a network of internal links with the environment and between themselves.

Global Journal of Engineering Research

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Global Journal of Engineering Research is aimed at promoting research in all areas of Engineering Research including Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, Chemical, Electronics, Geological etc. Visit the Global Journal Series website here: http://www.globaljournalseries.com/ ...

Journal of Modeling, Design and Management of Engineering ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Journal of Modeling, Design & Management of Engineering Systems publishes original ... systems Electronic/Electrical systems Engineering management systems Fuel and Energy systems Information Technology ... systems Pubic Health systems Software Engineering systems Systems and Industrial Engineering ...

Ethics and the UN Sustainable Development Goals: The Case for Comprehensive Engineering : Commentary on "Using Student Engagement to Relocate Ethics to the Core of the Engineering Curriculum".

Science.gov (United States)

van den Hoven, Jeroen

2016-12-27

In the twenty-first century, the urgent problems the world is facing (the UN Sustainable Development Goals) are increasingly related to vast and intricate 'systems of systems', which comprise both socio-technical and eco-systems. In order for engineers to adequately and responsibly respond to these problems, they cannot focus on only one technical or any other aspect in isolation, but must adopt a wider and multidisciplinary perspective of these systems, including an ethical and social perspective. Engineering curricula should therefore focus on what we call 'comprehensive engineering'. Comprehensive engineering implies ethical coherence, consilience of scientific disciplines, and cooperation between parties.

Reliability and safety engineering

CERN Document Server

Verma, Ajit Kumar; Karanki, Durga Rao

2016-01-01

Reliability and safety are core issues that must be addressed throughout the life cycle of engineering systems. Reliability and Safety Engineering presents an overview of the basic concepts, together with simple and practical illustrations. The authors present reliability terminology in various engineering fields, viz.,electronics engineering, software engineering, mechanical engineering, structural engineering and power systems engineering. The book describes the latest applications in the area of probabilistic safety assessment, such as technical specification optimization, risk monitoring and risk informed in-service inspection. Reliability and safety studies must, inevitably, deal with uncertainty, so the book includes uncertainty propagation methods: Monte Carlo simulation, fuzzy arithmetic, Dempster-Shafer theory and probability bounds. Reliability and Safety Engineering also highlights advances in system reliability and safety assessment including dynamic system modeling and uncertainty management. Cas...

Linking ecosystem service supply to stakeholder concerns on ...

Science.gov (United States)

Policies to protect coastal resources may lead to greater social, economic, and ecological returns when they consider potential co-benefits and trade-offs on land. In Guánica Bay watershed, Puerto Rico, a watershed management plan is being implemented to restore declining quality of coral reefs due to sediment and nutrient runoff. However, recent stakeholder workshops indicated uncertainty about benefits for the local community. A total of 19 metrics were identified to capture stakeholder concerns, including 15 terrestrial ecosystem services in the watershed and 4 metrics in the coastal zone. Ecosystem service production functions were applied to quantify and map ecosystem service supply in 1) the Guánica Bay watershed and 2) a highly engineered upper multi-watershed area connected to the lower watershed via a series of reservoirs and tunnels. These two watersheds were compared to other watersheds in Puerto Rico. Relative to other watersheds, the Upper Guánica watershed had high air pollutant removal rates, forest habitat area, biodiversity of charismatic and endangered species, but low farmland quality and low sediment retention. The Lower Guánica watershed had high rates of denitrification and high levels of marine-based recreational and fishing opportunities compared to other watersheds, but moderate to low air pollutant removal, soil carbon content, sediment and nutrient retention, and terrestrial biodiversity. Our results suggest that actions in the wat

Gasoline engine management systems and components

CERN Document Server

2015-01-01

The call for environmentally compatible and economical vehicles necessitates immense efforts to develop innovative engine concepts. Technical concepts such as gasoline direct injection helped to save fuel up to 20 % and reduce CO2-emissions. Descriptions of the cylinder-charge control, fuel injection, ignition and catalytic emission-control systems provides comprehensive overview of today´s gasoline engines. This book also describes emission-control systems and explains the diagnostic systems. The publication provides information on engine-management-systems and emission-control regulations. Contents History of the automobile.- Basics of the gasoline engine.- Fuels.- Cylinder-charge control systems.- Gasoline injection systems over the years.- Fuel supply.- Manifold fuel injection.- Gasoline direct injection.- Operation of gasoline engines on natural gas.- Ignition systems over the years.- Inductive ignition systems.- Ignition coils.- Spark plugs.- Electronic control.- Sensors.- Electronic control unit.- Exh...

Microbial ecology of fermentative hydrogen producing bioprocesses: useful insights for driving the ecosystem function.

Science.gov (United States)

Cabrol, Lea; Marone, Antonella; Tapia-Venegas, Estela; Steyer, Jean-Philippe; Ruiz-Filippi, Gonzalo; Trably, Eric

2017-03-01

One of the most important biotechnological challenges is to develop environment friendly technologies to produce new sources of energy. Microbial production of biohydrogen through dark fermentation, by conversion of residual biomass, is an attractive solution for short-term development of bioH2 producing processes. Efficient biohydrogen production relies on complex mixed communities working in tight interaction. Species composition and functional traits are of crucial importance to maintain the ecosystem service. The analysis of microbial community revealed a wide phylogenetic diversity that contributes in different-and still mostly unclear-ways to hydrogen production. Bridging this gap of knowledge between microbial ecology features and ecosystem functionality is essential to optimize the bioprocess and develop strategies toward a maximization of the efficiency and stability of substrate conversion. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the most up-to-date biodata available and discuss the main microbial community features of biohydrogen engineered ecosystems, with a special emphasis on the crucial role of interactions and the relationships between species composition and ecosystem service. The elucidation of intricate relationships between community structure and ecosystem function would make possible to drive ecosystems toward an improved functionality on the basis of microbial ecology principles. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Neurophysiology and neural engineering: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Prochazka, Arthur

2017-08-01

Neurophysiology is the branch of physiology concerned with understanding the function of neural systems. Neural engineering (also known as neuroengineering) is a discipline within biomedical engineering that uses engineering techniques to understand, repair, replace, enhance, or otherwise exploit the properties and functions of neural systems. In most cases neural engineering involves the development of an interface between electronic devices and living neural tissue. This review describes the origins of neural engineering, the explosive development of methods and devices commencing in the late 1950s, and the present-day devices that have resulted. The barriers to interfacing electronic devices with living neural tissues are many and varied, and consequently there have been numerous stops and starts along the way. Representative examples are discussed. None of this could have happened without a basic understanding of the relevant neurophysiology. I also consider examples of how neural engineering is repaying the debt to basic neurophysiology with new knowledge and insight. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Impact of typhoon disturbance on the diversity of key ecosystem engineers in a monoculture mangrove forest plantation, Can Gio Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam

Science.gov (United States)

Diele, K.; Tran Ngoc, D. M.; Geist, S. J.; Meyer, F. W.; Pham, Q. H.; Saint-Paul, U.; Tran, T.; Berger, U.

2013-11-01

Mangrove crabs as key ecosystem engineers may play an important role in the recovery process of storm-damaged forests. Yet, their response to storm disturbance is largely unknown. Here we compare the ground-dwelling brachyuran crab community of intact mangrove stands with that of typhoon gaps having experienced 100% tree mortality. Field work was conducted in two adjacent areas in Can Gio Biosphere Reserve, southern Vietnam. In each area, an 18-20 yr old monoculture Rhizophora apiculata stand served as control and was compared with typhoon gaps where downed stems had been removed or left on-site. The gaps were 14 and 20 months old when studied in the dry and rainy season 2008, respectively. Time-based sampling of ground-dwelling crabs with hand or shovel was conducted by 4 persons inside 100 m2 plots for 30 min (7 replicate plots per area, treatment and month). Abiotic (sediment pH, salinity, temperature, grain size, water content, carbon and nitrogen content), and biotic measures (e.g. canopy coverage, woody debris, number of trees, leaf litter) were also taken. Despite complete canopy loss, total crab abundance has not changed significantly (in contrast to biomass) and all 12 species found in the forest were also found in the gaps, demonstrating their robustness. Another 9 gap-exclusive species were recorded and average species number and Shannon diversity were thus higher in the gaps. Perisesarma eumolpe was the most abundant species, both in the forest and in the gaps, and a shift from sesarmids (typical forest species) to ocypodids (generally more prominent in open areas) has not occurred. The persistence of litter-feeding sesarmid crabs prior to the re-establishment of a mangrove canopy is likely to depend on the availability of woody debris on the ground of the gaps, fuelling a mangrove detritus based food web, rather than one based on microphytobenthos and deposit-feeding ocypodids. The presence of burrowing crabs in the gaps suggests that important

Linking ecosystem characteristics to final ecosystem services for public policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Christina P; Jiang, Bo; Kinzig, Ann P; Lee, Kai N; Ouyang, Zhiyun

2015-01-01

Governments worldwide are recognising ecosystem services as an approach to address sustainability challenges. Decision-makers need credible and legitimate measurements of ecosystem services to evaluate decisions for trade-offs to make wise choices. Managers lack these measurements because of a data gap linking ecosystem characteristics to final ecosystem services. The dominant method to address the data gap is benefit transfer using ecological data from one location to estimate ecosystem services at other locations with similar land cover. However, benefit transfer is only valid once the data gap is adequately resolved. Disciplinary frames separating ecology from economics and policy have resulted in confusion on concepts and methods preventing progress on the data gap. In this study, we present a 10-step approach to unify concepts, methods and data from the disparate disciplines to offer guidance on overcoming the data gap. We suggest: (1) estimate ecosystem characteristics using biophysical models, (2) identify final ecosystem services using endpoints and (3) connect them using ecological production functions to quantify biophysical trade-offs. The guidance is strategic for public policy because analysts need to be: (1) realistic when setting priorities, (2) attentive to timelines to acquire relevant data, given resources and (3) responsive to the needs of decision-makers. © 2014 The Authors. Ecology Letters published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and CNRS.

Aerobic methanotrophic bacteria of cold ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Trotsenko, Yuri A; Khmelenina, Valentina N

2005-06-01

This review summarizes the recent advances in understanding the ecophysiological role and structure-function features of methanotrophic bacteria living in various cold ecosystems. The occurrence of methanotrophs in a majority of psychrosphere sites was verified by direct measurement of their methane-utilizing activity, by electron microscopy and immunofluorescent observations, and analyses of specific signatures in cellular phospholipids and total DNAs extracted from environmental samples. Surprisingly, the phenotypic and genotypic markers of virtually all extant methanotrophs were detected in various cold habitats, such as underground waters, Northern taiga and tundra soils, polar lakes and permafrost sediments. Also, recent findings indicated that even after long-term storage in permafrost, some methanotrophs can oxidize and assimilate methane not only at positive but also at subzero temperatures. Pure cultures of psychrophilic and psychrotolerant methanotrophs were isolated and characterized as new genera and species: Methylobacter psychrophilus, Methylosphaera hansonii, Methylocella palustris, Methylocella silvestris, Methylocella tundrae, Methylocapsa acidiphila and Methylomonas scandinavica. However, our knowledge about their adaptive mechanisms and survival in cold ecosystems remains limited and needs to be established using both traditional and molecular microbiological methods.

Ecosystem service valuations of mangrove ecosystems to inform decision making and future valuation exercises.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nibedita Mukherjee

Full Text Available The valuation of ecosystem services is a complex process as it includes several dimensions (ecological, socio-cultural and economic and not all of these can be quantified in monetary units. The aim of this paper is to conduct an ecosystem services valuation study for mangroves ecosystems, the results of which can be used to inform governance and management of mangroves. We used an expert-based participatory approach (the Delphi technique to identify, categorize and rank the various ecosystem services provided by mangrove ecosystems at a global scale. Subsequently we looked for evidence in the existing ecosystem services literature for monetary valuations of these ecosystem service categories throughout the biogeographic distribution of mangroves. We then compared the relative ranking of ecosystem service categories between the monetary valuations and the expert based analysis. The experts identified 16 ecosystem service categories, six of which are not adequately represented in the literature. There was no significant correlation between the expert based valuation (the Delphi technique and the economic valuation, indicating that the scope of valuation of ecosystem services needs to be broadened. Acknowledging this diversity in different valuation approaches, and developing methodological frameworks that foster the pluralism of values in ecosystem services research, are crucial for maintaining the credibility of ecosystem services valuation. To conclude, we use the findings of our dual approach to valuation to make recommendations on how to assess and manage the ecosystem services provided by mangrove ecosystems.

Ecosystem service valuations of mangrove ecosystems to inform decision making and future valuation exercises.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukherjee, Nibedita; Sutherland, William J; Dicks, Lynn; Hugé, Jean; Koedam, Nico; Dahdouh-Guebas, Farid

2014-01-01

The valuation of ecosystem services is a complex process as it includes several dimensions (ecological, socio-cultural and economic) and not all of these can be quantified in monetary units. The aim of this paper is to conduct an ecosystem services valuation study for mangroves ecosystems, the results of which can be used to inform governance and management of mangroves. We used an expert-based participatory approach (the Delphi technique) to identify, categorize and rank the various ecosystem services provided by mangrove ecosystems at a global scale. Subsequently we looked for evidence in the existing ecosystem services literature for monetary valuations of these ecosystem service categories throughout the biogeographic distribution of mangroves. We then compared the relative ranking of ecosystem service categories between the monetary valuations and the expert based analysis. The experts identified 16 ecosystem service categories, six of which are not adequately represented in the literature. There was no significant correlation between the expert based valuation (the Delphi technique) and the economic valuation, indicating that the scope of valuation of ecosystem services needs to be broadened. Acknowledging this diversity in different valuation approaches, and developing methodological frameworks that foster the pluralism of values in ecosystem services research, are crucial for maintaining the credibility of ecosystem services valuation. To conclude, we use the findings of our dual approach to valuation to make recommendations on how to assess and manage the ecosystem services provided by mangrove ecosystems.

System for cooling hybrid vehicle electronics, method for cooling hybrid vehicle electronics

Science.gov (United States)

France, David M.; Yu, Wenhua; Singh, Dileep; Zhao, Weihuan

2017-11-21

The invention provides a single radiator cooling system for use in hybrid electric vehicles, the system comprising a surface in thermal communication with electronics, and subcooled boiling fluid contacting the surface. The invention also provides a single radiator method for simultaneously cooling electronics and an internal combustion engine in a hybrid electric vehicle, the method comprising separating a coolant fluid into a first portion and a second portion; directing the first portion to the electronics and the second portion to the internal combustion engine for a time sufficient to maintain the temperature of the electronics at or below 175.degree. C.; combining the first and second portion to reestablish the coolant fluid; and treating the reestablished coolant fluid to the single radiator for a time sufficient to decrease the temperature of the reestablished coolant fluid to the temperature it had before separation.

Anthropogenic pollutants affect ecosystem services of freshwater sediments. The need for a 'triad plus x' approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gerbersdorf, Sabine Ulrike; Wieprecht, Silke [Stuttgart Univ. (Germany). Dept. of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management; Hollert, Henner; Brinkmann, Markus [RWTH Aachen Univ. (Germany). Dept. of Ecosystem Analysis; Schuettrumpf, Holger [RWTH Aachen Univ. (Germany). Inst. of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management; Manz, Werner [Koblenz-Landau Univ., Koblenz (Germany). Inst. for Integrated Natural Sciences

2011-09-15

Purpose: Freshwater sediments and their attached microbial communities (biofilms) are essential features of rivers and lakes, providing valuable ecosystem services such as nutrient recycling or self-purification which extend beyond the aquatic environment. Anthropogenic pollutants, whether from the industrial era or as a result of our contemporary lifestyles, can negatively affect these functions with hitherto unknown consequences on ecology, the economy and human health. Thus far, the singular view of the involved disciplines such as ecotoxicology, environmental microbiology, hydrology and geomorphology has prevented a deeper understanding of this emerging issue. Main features: This paper discusses briefly the progressions and the state-of-the-art methods within the disciplines of concern related to contaminated sediments, ranging from ecotoxicological test systems, microbiological/molecular approaches to unravel changes of microbial ecosystems, up to the modelling of sediment transport and sorption/desorption of associated pollutants. The first bilateral research efforts on contaminated sediments include efforts to assess ecotoxicological sediment risk including sediment mobility (i.e. ecotoxicology and engineering), enhance bioremediation potential (i.e. microbiology and ecotoxicology) or to understand biostabilisation processes of sediments by microbial assemblages (i.e. microbiology and engineering). Conclusions and perspectives: In freshwater habitats, acute, chronic and mechanism-specific toxic effects on organisms, shifts in composition, structure and functionality of benthic microbial communities, as well as the obstruction of important ecosystem services by continuously discharged and long-deposited pollutants, should be related to the in situ sediment dynamics. To achieve an improved understanding of the ecology of freshwater sediments and the impairment of their important ecosystem functions by human-derived pollutants, we suggest a 'triad plus x

Analysis and design of software ecosystem architectures – Towards the 4S telemedicine ecosystem

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Henrik Bærbak; Hansen, Klaus Marius; Kyng, Morten

2014-01-01

performed a descriptive, revelatory case study of the Danish telemedicine ecosystem and for ii), we experimentally designed, implemented, and evaluated the architecture of 4S. Results We contribute in three areas. First, we define the software ecosystem architecture concept that captures organization......, and application stove-pipes that inhibit the adoption of telemedical solutions. To which extent can a software ecosystem approach to telemedicine alleviate this? Objective In this article, we define the concept of software ecosystem architecture as the structure(s) of a software ecosystem comprising elements...... experience in creating and evolving the 4S telemedicine ecosystem. Conclusion The concept of software ecosystem architecture can be used analytically and constructively in respectively the analysis and design of software ecosystems....

Electronic ignition device for internal combustion engines. Elektronische Zuendvorrichtung fuer Brennkraftmaschinen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erhard, W

1983-07-14

The purpose of the invention is to create an electronic ignition device for internal combustion engines, so that the exact setting of a required ignition timing can be done without troublesome balancing of the circuit and without temperature compensation processes. According to the invention, in order to solve this problem, the ignition device is characterized by an auxiliary circuit, with an auxiliary winding magnetically coupled to the ignition coil, a capacitor and a diode, which is connected in parallel with the control section of the control component. The auxiliary winding charges the capacitor up via the diode, as long as the induction and therefore the voltage in the auxiliary winding are increasing. After exceeding the maximum voltage, this is maintained at the capacitor while the voltage in the auxiliary winding decreases. If the difference reaches the threshold voltage of the control component, in particular of a thyristor, this is switched on and blocks the switching transistor. Due to this circuit, the ignition timing is very close behind the timing of the greatest possible energy input into the primary coil.

[Urban ecosystem services: A review].

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Qi-zheng; Huang, Gan-lin; Wu, Jian-guo

2015-04-01

Maintaining and improving ecosystem services in urban areas and human well-being are essential for sustainable development and therefore constitute an important topic in urban ecology. Here we reviewed studies on ecosystem services in urban areas. Based on the concept and classification of urban ecosystem services, we summarized characteristics of urban ecosystem services, including the human domination, high demand of ecosystem services in urban areas, spatial heterogeneity and temporal dynamics of ecosystem services supply and demand in urban areas, multi-services of urban green infrastructures, the socio-economic dimension of ecosystem services supply and ecosystem disservices in urban areas. Among different urban ecosystem services, the regulating service and cultural service are particularly indispensable to benefit human health. We pointed out that tradeoffs among different types of ecosystem services mostly occur between supportive service and cultural service, as well as regulating service and cultural service. In particular, we emphasized the relationship between landscape design (i.e. green infrastructure) and ecosystem services supply. Finally, we discussed current gaps to link urban ecosystem services studies to landscape design and management and pointed out several directions for future research in urban ecosystem services.

Problems in event based engine control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hendricks, Elbert; Jensen, Michael; Chevalier, Alain Marie Roger

1994-01-01

Physically a four cycle spark ignition engine operates on the basis of four engine processes or events: intake, compression, ignition (or expansion) and exhaust. These events each occupy approximately 180° of crank angle. In conventional engine controllers, it is an accepted practice to sample...... the engine variables synchronously with these events (or submultiples of them). Such engine controllers are often called event-based systems. Unfortunately the main system noise (or disturbance) is also synchronous with the engine events: the engine pumping fluctuations. Since many electronic engine...... problems on accurate air/fuel ratio control of a spark ignition (SI) engine....

Temporal scales, ecosystem dynamics, stakeholders and the valuation of ecosystems services

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hein, Lars; Koppen, van C.S.A.K.; Ierland, van Ekko C.; Leidekker, Jakob

2016-01-01

Temporal dimensions are highly relevant to the analysis of ecosystem services and their economic value. In this paper, we provide a framework that can be used for analyzing temporal dimensions of ecosystem services, we present a case study including an analysis of the supply of three ecosystem

A Requirement Engineering Framework for Electronic Data Sharing of Health Care Data Between Organizations

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xia; Peyton, Liam; Kuziemsky, Craig

Health care is increasingly provided to citizens by a network of collaboration that includes multiple providers and locations. Typically, that collaboration is on an ad-hoc basis via phone calls, faxes, and paper based documentation. Internet and wireless technologies provide an opportunity to improve this situation via electronic data sharing. These new technologies make possible new ways of working and collaboration but it can be difficult for health care organizations to understand how to use the new technologies while still ensuring that their policies and objectives are being met. It is also important to have a systematic approach to validate that e-health processes deliver the performance improvements that are expected. Using a case study of a palliative care patient receiving home care from a team of collaborating health organizations, we introduce a framework based on requirements engineering. Key concerns and objectives are identified and modeled (privacy, security, quality of care, and timeliness of service). And, then, proposed business processes which use new technologies are modeled in terms of these concerns and objectives to assess their impact and ensure that electronic data sharing is well regulated.

Collaborative Development Planning Model of Supporting Product in Platform Innovation Ecosystem

OpenAIRE

Wei Zhang; Hamid Reza Karimi; Qingpu Zhang; Shaobo Wu

2014-01-01

Published version of an article in the journal: Mathematical Problems in Engineering. Also available from the publisher at: http://10.1155/2014/690589 In order to improve the market value of the product, the platform enterprise often participates in the development process of supporting product of emerging industry's platform innovation ecosystem. This paper puts forward a revenue sharing contract between the platform company and the supporting company by creating a collaborative developme...

Can electronic search engines optimize screening of search results in systematic reviews: an empirical study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sampson, Margaret; Barrowman, Nicholas J; Moher, David; Clifford, Tammy J; Platt, Robert W; Morrison, Andra; Klassen, Terry P; Zhang, Li

2006-02-24

Most electronic search efforts directed at identifying primary studies for inclusion in systematic reviews rely on the optimal Boolean search features of search interfaces such as DIALOG and Ovid. Our objective is to test the ability of an Ultraseek search engine to rank MEDLINE records of the included studies of Cochrane reviews within the top half of all the records retrieved by the Boolean MEDLINE search used by the reviewers. Collections were created using the MEDLINE bibliographic records of included and excluded studies listed in the review and all records retrieved by the MEDLINE search. Records were converted to individual HTML files. Collections of records were indexed and searched through a statistical search engine, Ultraseek, using review-specific search terms. Our data sources, systematic reviews published in the Cochrane library, were included if they reported using at least one phase of the Cochrane Highly Sensitive Search Strategy (HSSS), provided citations for both included and excluded studies and conducted a meta-analysis using a binary outcome measure. Reviews were selected if they yielded between 1000-6000 records when the MEDLINE search strategy was replicated. Nine Cochrane reviews were included. Included studies within the Cochrane reviews were found within the first 500 retrieved studies more often than would be expected by chance. Across all reviews, recall of included studies into the top 500 was 0.70. There was no statistically significant difference in ranking when comparing included studies with just the subset of excluded studies listed as excluded in the published review. The relevance ranking provided by the search engine was better than expected by chance and shows promise for the preliminary evaluation of large results from Boolean searches. A statistical search engine does not appear to be able to make fine discriminations concerning the relevance of bibliographic records that have been pre-screened by systematic reviewers.

Elephants (and extinct relatives) as earth-movers and ecosystem engineers

Science.gov (United States)

Haynes, Gary

2012-07-01

Modern African elephants affect habitats and ecosystems in significant ways. They push over trees to feed on upper branches and often peel large sections of bark to eat. These destructive habits sometimes transform woody vegetation into grasslands. Systems of elephant trails may be used and re-used for centuries, and create incised features that extend for many kilometers on migration routes. Elephants, digging in search of water or mineral sediments, may remove several cubic meters of sediments in each excavation. Wallowing elephants may remove up to a cubic meter of pond sediments each time they visit water sources. Accumulations of elephant dung on frequented land surfaces may be over 2 kg per square meter. Elephant trampling, digging, and dust-bathing may reverse stratigraphy at archeological localities. This paper summarizes these types of effects on biotic, geomorphic, and paleontological features in modern-day landscapes, and also describes several fossil sites that indicate extinct proboscideans had very similar effects, such as major sediment disturbances.

Sustainable DTU, Electronics and It

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schultz, Ole; Molin, Jesper; Hundebøll, Peder M.

2014-01-01

and suggest what should be done at the Campus to make it green and as the last part of it the prototype and suggest in detail what could be done. Over time there have been participating students from another elective course, Sustainable Electronics and IT as well students from Process and Innovation, Export...... Engineering and Civil Engineering students. The courses teach students that sustainability is a cross disciplinary topic – where engineering’s from different education has to cooperate for getting a proper solution. Electronic and IT Diplom engineering students are motivated learning about sustainability...... within their field when sustainability and environmental impact is seen in a context. That is done in an elective course: Sustainable Electronics and IT (SUSIE). We have integrated sustainability in the context of embedded wireless systems for building monitoring and control using the Internet of Things...

Practical electrical engineering

CERN Document Server

N Makarov, Sergey; Bitar, Stephen J

2016-01-01

This textbook provides comprehensive, in-depth coverage of the fundamental concepts of electrical and computer engineering. It is written from an engineering perspective, with special emphasis on circuit functionality and applications. Reliance on higher-level mathematics and physics, or theoretical proofs has been intentionally limited in order to prioritize the practical aspects of electrical engineering. This text is therefore suitable for a number of introductory circuit courses for other majors such as robotics, mechanical, biomedical, aerospace, civil, architecture, petroleum, and industrial engineering. The authors’ primary goal is to teach the aspiring engineering student all fundamental tools needed to understand, analyze and design a wide range of practical circuits and systems. Their secondary goal is to provide a comprehensive reference, for both major and non-major students as well as practicing engineers. Provides a self-contained, fundamental textbook on electric circuits and basic electronic...

Searching for resilience: addressing the impacts of changing disturbance regimes on forest ecosystem services

Science.gov (United States)

Seidl, Rupert; Spies, Thomas A.; Peterson, David L.; Stephens, Scott L.; Hicke, Jeffrey A.

2016-01-01

Summary 1. The provisioning of ecosystem services to society is increasingly under pressure from global change. Changing disturbance regimes are of particular concern in this context due to their high potential impact on ecosystem structure, function and composition. Resilience-based stewardship is advocated to address these changes in ecosystem management, but its operational implementation has remained challenging. 2. We review observed and expected changes in disturbance regimes and their potential impacts on provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting ecosystem services, concentrating on temperate and boreal forests. Subsequently, we focus on resilience as a powerful concept to quantify and address these changes and their impacts, and present an approach towards its operational application using established methods from disturbance ecology. 3. We suggest using the range of variability concept – characterizing and bounding the long-term behaviour of ecosystems – to locate and delineate the basins of attraction of a system. System recovery in relation to its range of variability can be used to measure resilience of ecosystems, allowing inferences on both engineering resilience (recovery rate) and monitoring for regime shifts (directionality of recovery trajectory). 4. It is important to consider the dynamic nature of these properties in ecosystem analysis and management decision-making, as both disturbance processes and mechanisms of resilience will be subject to changes in the future. Furthermore, because ecosystem services are at the interface between natural and human systems, the social dimension of resilience (social adaptive capacity and range of variability) requires consideration in responding to changing disturbance regimes in forests. 5. Synthesis and applications. Based on examples from temperate and boreal forests we synthesize principles and pathways for fostering resilience to changing disturbance regimes in ecosystem management. We

Ranking coastal flood protection designs from engineered to nature-based

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nat, van der A.; Vellinga, P.; Leemans, R.; Slobbe, van E.

2016-01-01

Compared to traditional hard engineering, nature-based flood protection can be more cost effective, use up less raw materials, increase system adaptability and present opportunities to improve ecosystem functioning. However, high flood safety standards cause the need to combine nature-based

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stam, F.C.; Spigel, Ben

2016-01-01

This paper reviews and discusses the emergent entrepreneurial ecosystem approach. Entrepreneurial ecosystems are defined as a set of interdependent actors and factors coordinated in such a way that they enable productive entrepreneurship within a particular territory. The purpose of this paper is to

Analysis and optimization with ecological objective function of irreversible single resonance energy selective electron heat engines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Junle; Chen, Lingen; Ding, Zemin; Sun, Fengrui

2016-01-01

Ecological performance of a single resonance ESE heat engine with heat leakage is conducted by applying finite time thermodynamics. By introducing Nielsen function and numerical calculations, expressions about power output, efficiency, entropy generation rate and ecological objective function are derived; relationships between ecological objective function and power output, between ecological objective function and efficiency as well as between power output and efficiency are demonstrated; influences of system parameters of heat leakage, boundary energy and resonance width on the optimal performances are investigated in detail; a specific range of boundary energy is given as a compromise to make ESE heat engine system work at optimal operation regions. Comparing performance characteristics with different optimization objective functions, the significance of selecting ecological objective function as the design objective is clarified specifically: when changing the design objective from maximum power output into maximum ecological objective function, the improvement of efficiency is 4.56%, while the power output drop is only 2.68%; when changing the design objective from maximum efficiency to maximum ecological objective function, the improvement of power output is 229.13%, and the efficiency drop is only 13.53%. - Highlights: • An irreversible single resonance energy selective electron heat engine is studied. • Heat leakage between two reservoirs is considered. • Power output, efficiency and ecological objective function are derived. • Optimal performance comparison for three objective functions is carried out.

Distributed Control Architecture for Gas Turbine Engine. Chapter 4

Science.gov (United States)

Culley, Dennis; Garg, Sanjay

2009-01-01

The transformation of engine control systems from centralized to distributed architecture is both necessary and enabling for future aeropropulsion applications. The continued growth of adaptive control applications and the trend to smaller, light weight cores is a counter influence on the weight and volume of control system hardware. A distributed engine control system using high temperature electronics and open systems communications will reverse the growing trend of control system weight ratio to total engine weight and also be a major factor in decreasing overall cost of ownership for aeropropulsion systems. The implementation of distributed engine control is not without significant challenges. There are the needs for high temperature electronics, development of simple, robust communications, and power supply for the on-board electronics.

Engineering Mixed Ionic Electronic Conduction in La 0.8 Sr 0.2 MnO 3+ δ Nanostructures through Fast Grain Boundary Oxygen Diffusivity

KAUST Repository

Saranya, Aruppukottai M.

2015-04-09

© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. Nanoionics has become an increasingly promising field for the future development of advanced energy conversion and storage devices, such as batteries, fuel cells, and supercapacitors. Particularly, nanostructured materials offer unique properties or combinations of properties as electrodes and electrolytes in a range of energy devices. However, the enhancement of the mass transport properties at the nanoscale has often been found to be difficult to implement in nanostructures. Here, an artificial mixed ionic electronic conducting oxide is fabricated by grain boundary (GB) engineering thin films of La0.8Sr0.2MnO3+δ. This electronic conductor is converted into a good mixed ionic electronic conductor by synthesizing a nanostructure with high density of vertically aligned GBs with high concentration of strain-induced defects. Since this type of GBs present a remarkable enhancement of their oxide-ion mass transport properties (of up to six orders of magnitude at 773 K), it is possible to tailor the electrical nature of the whole material by nanoengineering, especially at low temperatures. The presented results lead to fundamental insights into oxygen diffusion along GBs and to the application of these engineered nanomaterials in new advanced solid state ionics devices such are micro-solid oxide fuel cells or resistive switching memories. An electronic conductor such as La0.8Sr0.2MnO3+δ is converted into a good mixed ionic electronic conductor by synthesizing a nanostructure with excellent electronic and oxygen mass transport properties. Oxygen diffusion highways are created by promoting a high concentration of strain-induced defects in the grain boundary region. This novel strategy opens the way for synthesizing new families of artificial mixed ionic-electronic conductors by design.

Mapping monetary values of ecosystem services in support of developing ecosystem accounts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sumarga, Elham; Hein, Lars; Edens, Bram; Suwarno, Aritta

2015-01-01

Ecosystem accounting has been proposed as a comprehensive, innovative approach to natural capital accounting, and basically involves the biophysical and monetary analysis of ecosystem services in a national accounting framework. Characteristic for ecosystem accounting is the spatial approach

Problems of development and putting into education process an electronic textbook on special discipline 'General theory and construction of heat-and-power engineering facilities'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karitskaya, S.G.; Ruzanov, K.A.; Davletov, V.S.

2005-01-01

The results of work of making the electronic textbook of special discipline ('General theory and construction of heat-and-power engineering facilities' are brought. The principles and requirements, presented towards literature of such type, are outlined. (author)

Career Directions--Electronics Technician

Science.gov (United States)

Tech Directions, 2012

2012-01-01

Electronics technicians (ETs) work with electronics engineers to set up and maintain complicated electronics equipment that many of today's businesses rely on. The field is varied. An ET might service the industrial controls on a factory floor. Or repair missile control systems for the government. Or an ET could specialize in cars and trucks,…

Ecosystem services in ECOCLIM

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Lise Lotte; Boegh, Eva; Bendtsen, J

that actions initiated to reduce anthropogenic GHG emissions are sustainable and not destructive to existing ecosystem services. Therefore it is important to address i.e. land use change in relation to the regulating services of the ecosystems, such as carbon sequestration and climate regulation. At present...... a thorough understanding of the ecosystem processes controlling the uptake or emissions of GHG is fundamental. Here we present ECOCLIM in the context of ecosystem services and the experimental studies within ECOCLIM which will lead to an enhanced understanding of Danish ecosystems....

Ecosystem thermodynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez Palacio, German Rau

1998-01-01

Ecology is no more a descriptive and self-sufficient science. Many viewpoints are needed simultaneously to give a full coverage of such complex systems: ecosystems. These viewpoints come from physics, chemistry, and nuclear physics, without a new far from equilibrium thermodynamics and without new mathematical tools such as catastrophe theory, fractal theory, cybernetics and network theory, the development of ecosystem science would never have reached the point of today. Some ideas are presented about the importance that concept such as energy, entropy, exergy information and none equilibrium have in the analysis of processes taking place in ecosystems

Report on survey in fiscal 2000. Survey on introduction of external accreditation system in engineer education (electronic information communications); 2000 nendo chosa hokokusho. Gijutsusha kyoiku no gaibu ninteiseido donyu ni kansuru chosa (Denshi joho tsushin)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-03-01

In order to ensure international applicability of engineer education such as in universities and other organizations, and to improve the environment to supply human resources demanded by economic societies, surveys were performed on the external accreditation system for engineer education such as in universities and other organizations. In the field of electronic information communications, a committee to correspond to JABEE was established to perform system build-up, where the discussions were advanced. This field was classified into the following four specified areas: general aspect of electric/electronic/information communication engineering, electronics, information communications, and information systems. A supplementary explanation was given on the educational contents except for the information systems, based on which the self-assessment criteria and the evaluation table (for trial use) were prepared. For the examiner training, instructors were invited from ABET in the U.S.A., and training meetings were held. In addition, two committee members were sent as observers to the examinations being carried out at ABET. The trial experiments were conducted for the information communications program at the engineering department of Niigata University, and the electronic system engineering class at Sendai Radio Wave Industrial College. This paper summarizes the results of the examinations. (NEDO)

5th International Conference on Electronics, Communications and Networks

CERN Document Server

2016-01-01

This book comprises peer-reviewed contributions presented at the 5th International Conference on Electronics, Communications and Networks (CECNet 2015), held in Shanghai, China, 12-15 December, 2015. It includes new multi-disciplinary topics spanning a unique depth and breadth of cutting-edge research areas in Electronic Engineering, Communications and Networks, and Computer Technology. More generally, it is of interest to academics, students and professionals involved in Consumer Electronics Technology, Communication Engineering and Technology, Wireless Communication Systems and Technology, and Computer Engineering and Technology.

Ecosystem Under Construction: An Action Research Study on Entrepreneurship in a Business Ecosystem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leni Kuivaniemi

2012-06-01

Full Text Available In recent years, we have seen increasing interest in new service concepts that take advantage of the capabilities of business ecosystems instead of single companies. In this article, we describe how a business ecosystem begins to develop around a service business idea proposed by an entrepreneur. We aim to recognize the different domains of players that are or should be involved in the ecosystem while it is under construction. The article concludes with an ecosystem model consisting of six sub-ecosystems having different change drivers and clockspeeds.

The value of producing food, energy, and ecosystem services within an agro-ecosystem

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Porter, John Roy; Constanza, Robert; Sandhu, Harpinder

2009-01-01

Ecosystem Services within an Agro- Ecosystem Agricultural ecosystems produce food, fiber, and nonmarketed ecosystem services (ES). Agriculture also typically involves high negative external costs associated with, for example, fossil fuel use. We estimated, via fieldscale ecological monitoring...... and economic value-transfer methods, the market and nonmarket ES value of a combined food and energy (CFE) agro-ecosystem that simultaneously produces food, fodder, and bioenergy. Such novel CFE agro-ecosystems can provide a significantly increased net crop, energy, and nonmarketed ES compared...... with conventional agriculture, and require markedly less fossil-based inputs. Extrapolated to the European scale, the value of nonmarket ES from the CFE system exceeds current European farm subsidy payments. Such integrated food and bioenergy systems can thus provide environmental value for money for European Union...

Electronic theodolite intersection systems

OpenAIRE

Bingley, R. M.

1990-01-01

The development of electronic surveying instruments, such as electronic theodolites, and concurrent advances in computer technology, has revolutionised engineering surveying; one of the more recent examples being the introduction of Electronic Theodolite Intersection Systems (ETISs). An ETIS consists of two or more electronic theodolites and a computer, with peripheral hardware and suitable software. The theoretical principles on which they are based have been known for a long time, but ...

Using landscape limnology to classify freshwater ecosystems for multi-ecosystem management and conservation

Science.gov (United States)

Soranno, Patricia A.; Cheruvelil, Kendra Spence; Webster, Katherine E.; Bremigan, Mary T.; Wagner, Tyler; Stow, Craig A.

2010-01-01

Governmental entities are responsible for managing and conserving large numbers of lake, river, and wetland ecosystems that can be addressed only rarely on a case-by-case basis. We present a system for predictive classification modeling, grounded in the theoretical foundation of landscape limnology, that creates a tractable number of ecosystem classes to which management actions may be tailored. We demonstrate our system by applying two types of predictive classification modeling approaches to develop nutrient criteria for eutrophication management in 1998 north temperate lakes. Our predictive classification system promotes the effective management of multiple ecosystems across broad geographic scales by explicitly connecting management and conservation goals to the classification modeling approach, considering multiple spatial scales as drivers of ecosystem dynamics, and acknowledging the hierarchical structure of freshwater ecosystems. Such a system is critical for adaptive management of complex mosaics of freshwater ecosystems and for balancing competing needs for ecosystem services in a changing world.

Engineering sustainable development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prendergast, J.

1993-01-01

This article discusses sustainable development, a policy which attempts to balance environmental preservation and economic growth, and promises a way to provide a decent life for Earth's human inhabitants without destroying the global ecosystem. Sustainable development is an effort to use technology to help clean up the mess it helped make, and engineers will be central players in its success or failure. Key aspects include more efficient energy use through conservation measures and switching to renewable sources, waste minimization, much greater recycling and reuse of materials, more comprehensive economic/environmental assessments employing life-cycle analyses, and better management of resources

THE DESIGNING OF ELECTRONIC TEACHING-METHODS COMPLEX «GRAPHICS» FOR REALIZATION OF COMPUTER-BASED LEARNING OF ENGINEERING-GRAPHIC DISCIPLINES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Іван Нищак

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The article contains Theoretical Foundations of designing of author’s electronic educational-methodical complex (EEMC «Graphics», intended to implement the engineering-graphic preparation of future teachers of technology in terms of computer-based learning. The process of designing of electronic educational-methodical complex “Graphics” includes the following successive stages: 1 identification of didactic goals and objectives; 2the designing of patterns of EEMC; 3 the selection of contents and systematization of educational material; 4 the program-technical implementation of EEMC; 5 interface design; 6 expert assessment of quality of EEMC; 7 testing of EEMC; 8 adjusting the software; 9 the development of guidelines and instructions for the use of EEMC.

Indicators of biodiversity and ecosystem services: A synthesis across ecosystems and spatial scales

Science.gov (United States)

Feld, C.K.; Da Silva, P.M.; Sousa, J.P.; De Bello, F.; Bugter, R.; Grandin, U.; Hering, D.; Lavorel, S.; Mountford, O.; Pardo, I.; Partel, M.; Rombke, J.; Sandin, Leonard; Jones, K. Bruce; Harrison, P.

2009-01-01

According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, common indicators are needed to monitor the loss of biodiversity and the implications for the sustainable provision of ecosystem services. However, a variety of indicators are already being used resulting in many, mostly incompatible, monitoring systems. In order to synthesise the different indicator approaches and to detect gaps in the development of common indicator systems, we examined 531 indicators that have been reported in 617 peer-reviewed journal articles between 1997 and 2007. Special emphasis was placed on comparing indicators of biodiversity and ecosystem services across ecosystems (forests, grass- and shrublands, wetlands, rivers, lakes, soils and agro-ecosystems) and spatial scales (from patch to global scale). The application of biological indicators was found most often focused on regional and finer spatial scales with few indicators applied across ecosystem types. Abiotic indicators, such as physico-chemical parameters and measures of area and fragmentation, are most frequently used at broader (regional to continental) scales. Despite its multiple dimensions, biodiversity is usually equated with species richness only. The functional, structural and genetic components of biodiversity are poorly addressed despite their potential value across habitats and scales. Ecosystem service indicators are mostly used to estimate regulating and supporting services but generally differ between ecosystem types as they reflect ecosystem-specific services. Despite great effort to develop indicator systems over the past decade, there is still a considerable gap in the widespread use of indicators for many of the multiple components of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and a need to develop common monitoring schemes within and across habitats. Filling these gaps is a prerequisite for linking biodiversity dynamics with ecosystem service delivery and to achieving the goals of global and sub-global initiatives to halt

Coastal ecosystems, productivity and ecosystem protection: Coastal ecosystem management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ngoile, M.A.K.; Horrill, C.J.

1993-01-01

The coastal zone is a complex ecosystem under the influence of physical, chemical and biological processes. Under natural conditions these processes interact and maintain an equilibrium in the coastal ecosystem. Man makes a variety of important uses of coastal resources, ranging from harvesting of living resources, extraction of nonliving resources, and recreation, to the disposal of wastes. Man's extensive use of the oceans introduces factors which bring about an imbalance in the natural processes, and may result in harmful and hazardous effects to life hindering further use. Man's pressure on the resources of the coastal zone is already manifest and will increase manifold. This calls for an immediate solution to the protection and sustainable use of coastal resources. The current sectorized approach to the management of human activities will not solve the problem because the different resources of the coastal zone interact in such a manner that disturbances in one cause imbalance in the others. This is further complicated by the sectorized approach to research and limited communication between policy makers, managers, and scientists. This paper discusses strategies for managing coastal-resources use through an integrated approach. The coastal zone is presented as a unified ecosystem in equilibrium and shows that man's extensive use of the coastal resources destabilizes this equilibrium. Examples from the East Africa Region are presented. 15 refs, 2 figs, 3 tabs

IEEE Milestone at CERN - W Cleon Anderson (right), president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, unveils the Milestone plaque at CERN, together with Georges Charpak

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2005-01-01

At a ceremony on 26 September at CERN, W Cleon Anderson, president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), formally dedicated a "Milestone" plaque in recognition of the invention of electronic particle detectors at CERN. The plaque was unveiled by Anderson and Georges Charpak, the Nobel-prize winning inventor of wire-chamber technology at CERN.

Evaluating international development investments based on ecosystem services impact

Science.gov (United States)

Fremier, A. K.; Brauman, K. A.; Mulligan, M.; Chaplin-Kramer, R.; Gordon, L.; Luedeling, E.; Jones, S. K.; DeClerck, F.

2016-12-01

Engineered water-control structures to supply water for agriculture are frequently funded by international development to an effort to improve human wellbeing. Dams, reservoirs, and other forms of water control frequently have negative impacts on other water users; however, their sustainability in the face of climate change and evolving watershed processes have been called into question. Increasingly, planning for and evaluation of investments in water control require integration of these larger scale impacts and dependencies. Ecosystem service approaches can use local to regional scale knowledge to integrate a broader scope of project impacts by quantifying trade-offs in multiple services across proposed development interventions and future scenarios (economic, climate, demographic). Here, we illustrate the role an ecosystem service approach can play in investment decision making to evaluate the impact of small reservoirs on human wellbeing in the Upper Volta Basin of West Africa. Our project has four components: (1) design of a spatially explicit regional-level social-ecological characterization; (2) construction of future scenario analyses for rainfed and irrigated production system interventions; (3) co-design and co-development of benefit sharing mechanisms at the reservoir catchment level and enhancing institutional capacity to implement these mechanisms through training, professional development and targeting tools; and (4) intervention decision analysis to identify benefits, costs and risks associated with decision options. We illustrate how this approach highlights different outcomes than standard cost-benefit analysis focused narrowly on the single project. Anticipated outcomes are development of ecosystem services-based methods for more equitably and sustainably evaluating development interventions and identifying management approaches to water-impoundment structures that promote a range of ecosystem services to provide food security to a broader

Economic valuation of mangrove ecosystem: empirical studies in Timbulsloko Village, Sayung, Demak, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Perdana, T. A.; Suprijanto, J.; Pribadi, R.; Collet, C. R.; Bailly, D.

2018-03-01

Ecosystem resilience is the capacity of ecosystems to tolerate disorders without collapsing into different circumstances qualitatively controlled by a different set of processes. A robust ecosystem is one that can withstand shocks and rebuild itself when necessary. This study aims to identify the value of use-based economy and non-use value of current economy; calculating the total economic value of mangrove resources; and provide suggestions and recommendations based on observations in Timbulsloko, Sayung, Demak. The method used is economic valuation with total economic value technique. The sampling technique used non-probability and purposive sampling method. The results showed that the direct use value of mangroves was utilized by fisherman, fish pond farmers, branjang catchers, oystercatchers, trap makers, shop owner, grilled fish makers and shrimp chip makers. Indirect use value was derived from function as the breakwater, beach belt and hybrid engineering. Existing value was not less than 10 % of the direct use value. The total economic value was Rp. 6,361,430,639/year or about Rp. 202,335,580.1/ha/year. It is need to improve the community awareness to mangrove ecosystem and to the role of breakwater in order to reduce risk disaster and to develop an ecotourism in the area.

Ecosystem services science, practice, and policy: Perspectives from ACES, A Community on Ecosystem Services

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, Carl D.; Arthaud, Greg; Casey, Frank; Hogan, Dianna M.

2015-01-01

Ecosystem services are at a crossroad. The natural capital needed to produce them is diminishing (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005). At the same time, the science relating to their identification, production, and valuation is advancing. Examples of ecosystem services applications are abundant in the literature. In addition, the concept of ecosystem services and its applications are attracting attention and are becoming more visible. The concept of ecosystem services, however, is still not routinely applied to many natural resource management decisions.

Engineered wetlands for on-site groundwater remediation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wallace, S.; Davis, B.M.

2008-01-01

Engineered wetlands have been touted as an emerging technology for the in situ remediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil and water. They incorporate a horizontal subsurface flow gravel bed reactor lined with impermeable liners, and are equipped with forced bed aeration systems that enhance oxygen delivery to the wetland's aerobic micro-organisms. Engineered wetlands generally emphasize specific characteristics of wetland ecosystems to improve treatment capacities. Design parameters include biodegradation rate coefficients, flowrate, hydraulic residence time plus influent and required effluent concentrations. This paper described the installation of an engineered wetland system at a former British Petroleum (BP) refinery in Wyoming where a pipeline terminal generated contact wastewater containing benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) and ammonia. The wetland treatment system was designed to treat 6000 m 3 of contaminated ground water per day and has been in operation since May 2003. It was concluded that engineered wetlands can offer long-term solutions to site remediation challenges. 16 refs., 3 tabs., 6 figs

The contribution of bacterial genome engineering to sustainable development.

Science.gov (United States)

Reuß, Daniel R; Commichau, Fabian M; Stülke, Jörg

2017-09-01

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals define important challenges for the prosperous development of mankind. To reach several of these goals, among them the production of value-added compounds, improved economic and ecologic balance of production processes, prevention of climate change and protection of ecosystems, the use of engineered bacteria can make valuable contributions. We discuss the strategies for genome engineering and how they can be applied to meet the United Nations' goals for sustainable development. © 2017 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

ELEC-2002: Electronics in HEP

CERN Multimedia

Technical Training; Tel. 74924

2001-01-01

ELEC-2002 is a 15-session modern electronic course, given by CERN physicists and engineers, in a new format within the framework of the Technical Training Programme. This course is designed for people who are not electronics specialists, for example physicists, engineers and technicians working at or visiting the laboratory, who use or will use electronics in their present or future activities, in particular in the context of the LHC accelerator and experiments. ELEC-2002 will composed of two terms: sessions will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 14h00 to 16h30, in the Training Centre Auditorium, bldg. 593.   Winter term: Readout and system electronics for physics (January-February 2002) Introduction: the basics of electronics. Review of electrical circuits: Laplace transforms, transfer functions, RC-CR networks. Transistors, operational amplifiers and applications, transmission lines. (Philippe Farthouat, 15 January) Analogue signal processing. Preamplifiers and shapers; noise in ele...

BUSINESS ECOSYSTEMS VS BUSINESS DIGITAL ECOSYSTEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marinela Lazarica

2006-05-01

Full Text Available E-business is often described as the small organisations’ gateway to global business and markets. The adoption of Internet-based technologies for e-business is a continuous process, with sequential steps of evolution. The latter step in the adoption of Internet-based technologies for business, where the business services and the software components are supported by a pervasive software environment, which shows an evolutionary and self-organising behaviour are named digital business ecosystems. The digital business ecosystems are characterized by intelligent software components and services, knowledge transfer, interactive training frameworks and integration of business processes and e-government models.

Ecosystem approach in education

Science.gov (United States)

Nabiullin, Iskander

2017-04-01

Environmental education is a base for sustainable development. Therefore, in our school we pay great attention to environmental education. Environmental education in our school is based on ecosystem approach. What is an ecosystem approach? Ecosystem is a fundamental concept of ecology. Living organisms and their non-living environments interact with each other as a system, and the biosphere planet functions as a global ecosystem. Therefore, it is necessary for children to understand relationships in ecosystems, and we have to develop systems thinking in our students. Ecosystem approach and systems thinking should help us to solve global environmental problems. How do we implement the ecosystem approach? Students must understand that our biosphere functions as a single ecosystem and even small changes can lead to environmental disasters. Even the disappearance of one plant or animal species can lead to irreversible consequences. So in the classroom we learn the importance of each living organism for the nature. We pay special attention to endangered species, which are listed in the Red Data List. Kids are doing projects about these organisms, make videos, print brochures and newspapers. Fieldwork also plays an important role for ecosystem approach. Every summer, we go out for expeditions to study species of plants and animals listed in the Red Data List of Tatarstan. In class, students often write essays on behalf of any endangered species of plants or animals, this also helps them to understand the importance of each living organism in nature. Each spring we organise a festival of environmental projects among students. Groups of 4-5 students work on a solution of environmental problems, such as water, air or soil pollution, waste recycling, the loss of biodiversity, etc. Participants shoot a clip about their project, print brochures. Furthermore, some of the students participate in national and international scientific Olympiads with their projects. In addition to

Progress and challenges in the development of ecosystem accounting as a tool to analyse ecosystem capital

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hein, Lars; Obst, Carl; Edens, Bram; Remme, R.P.

2015-01-01

Ecosystem accounting has been developed as a systematic approach to incorporate measures of ecosystem services and ecosystem assets into an accounting structure. Ecosystem accounting involves spatially explicit modelling of ecosystem services and assets, in both physical and monetary terms. A

Emerging Trends in Computing, Informatics, Systems Sciences, and Engineering

CERN Document Server

Elleithy, Khaled

2013-01-01

Emerging Trends in Computing, Informatics, Systems Sciences, and Engineering includes a set of rigorously reviewed world-class manuscripts addressing and detailing state-of-the-art research projects in the areas of  Industrial Electronics, Technology & Automation, Telecommunications and Networking, Systems, Computing Sciences and Software Engineering, Engineering Education, Instructional Technology, Assessment, and E-learning. This book includes the proceedings of the International Joint Conferences on Computer, Information, and Systems Sciences, and Engineering (CISSE 2010). The proceedings are a set of rigorously reviewed world-class manuscripts presenting the state of international practice in Innovative Algorithms and Techniques in Automation, Industrial Electronics and Telecommunications.

ETRAN 1999: Society for Electronics,Telecommunications, Computers, Automation and Nuclear Engineering. Section for Nuclear Techniques and Technology. Proceedings of the XLIII Conference. Vol IV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spasojevic, D.; Smiljanic, M.; Bozic, D.; Stankovic, D.

1999-01-01

The XLIII ETRAN Conference of the Society for Electronic, Telecommunications, Computers, Automation and Nuclear Engineering was held on 20-22 Sep, 1999. In the Proceedings of the Conference The Commission of the Nuclear Technique and Technology has 19 papers presented in three sessions.

Global Ecosystem Restoration Index

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fernandez, Miguel; Garcia, Monica; Fernandez, Nestor

2015-01-01

The Global ecosystem restoration index (GERI) is a composite index that integrates structural and functional aspects of the ecosystem restoration process. These elements are evaluated through a window that looks into a baseline for degraded ecosystems with the objective to assess restoration...

Rights to ecosystem services

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Davidson, M.

2014-01-01

Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems. Many of these services are provided outside the borders of the land where they are produced; this article investigates who is entitled to these non-excludable ecosystem services from two libertarian perspectives. Taking a

Radio-capacity of ecosystems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kultakhmedov, Yu.; Kultakhmedova-Vyshnyakova, V.

1997-01-01

This paper consider a universal approach to ecosystems of different types, based on representation of their radio-capacity. The concept of ecosystem includes reproduction of components (bio-productivity) and conditions such as maintaining of environment quality. Radio-capacity in the case of radionuclide pollution appears in accumulation and redistribution of radionuclides in the ecosystem. As a result the radionuclides are redistributed and buried in soil or lake bottom sediments. Estimation models for the radio-capacity of water and terrestrial ecosystems are represented. The calculations of the radio-capacity factor of water ecosystems are performed, and the high radio-capacity of a freshwater reservoir (F=0.6-0.8) and extremely high radio-capacity of a reservoir cascade (F c =0.99) is shown material from the Dnieper's cascade reservoirs. The methods of radio-capacity estimation of agroecosystems, wood and marine ecosystems are developed. (authors)

Feedforward mapping for engine control

OpenAIRE

Aran, Volkan; Ünel, Mustafa; Unel, Mustafa

2016-01-01

Feedforward control is widely used in electronic control units of internal combustion engines besides feedback controls. However, almost all feedforward control values are used in table form, also called maps, having engine speed and engine torque in their axes. Table approach limits all inte ractions in two input dimensions. This paper focuses on application of Gaussian process modelling of errors of inverse parametric model of the valve position. Validation results based on ...

Mechanical engineers' handbook, design, instrumentation, and controls

CERN Document Server

Kutz, Myer

2015-01-01

Full coverage of electronics, MEMS, and instrumentation andcontrol in mechanical engineering This second volume of Mechanical Engineers' Handbookcovers electronics, MEMS, and instrumentation and control, givingyou accessible and in-depth access to the topics you'll encounterin the discipline: computer-aided design, product design formanufacturing and assembly, design optimization, total qualitymanagement in mechanical system design, reliability in themechanical design process for sustainability, life-cycle design,design for remanufacturing processes, signal processing, dataacquisition and dis

Monetary accounting of ecosystem services

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Remme, R.P.; Edens, Bram; Schröter, Matthias; Hein, Lars

2015-01-01

Ecosystem accounting aims to provide a better understanding of ecosystem contributions to the economy in a spatially explicit way. Ecosystem accounting monitors ecosystem services and measures their monetary value using exchange values consistent with the System of National Accounts (SNA). We

The environmental context of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and its potential role as an ecosystem engineer in sulphidic mine waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ebenaa, Gustav

2001-06-01

Microorganisms are the causative agent of the environmental problems since they catalyse the weathering of the (sulphidic) waste. The chemical oxidation alone is not fast enough to create any severe environmental problems. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is thought to be a key organism in weathering of sulphide minerals. A. ferrooxidans is affected by several more or less abiotic factors. The influence of temperature, pH and nutrient deficiency as potentially limiting factors for the activity of A. ferrooxidans has been investigated. It seems that temperature has less influence on its activity, but rather reflects the origin of the bacterial isolate. An alkaline pH seems enough to hinder growth and activity. The nutrients do not seem to be a limiting factor in the studied environment. The possible regulation of the activity of A. ferrooxidans is therefore a way to, at least partly, mitigate the environmental impact from mine waste. Waste from the mining industry is the largest waste problem in Sweden. With amounts over 600 million tonnes one could easily imagine the tremendous cost involved in the abatement. The MiMi-programme, with researchers from several relevant fields, has as its aim to evaluate present and to find alternative techniques to mitigate the environmental impact from mine waste. The understanding of A. ferrooxidans and its role as an ecosystem engineer is essential both in evaluating present techniques and even more so in finding alternative abatement techniques for sulphidic mine waste.

Consumer-driven nutrient dynamics in freshwater ecosystems: from individuals to ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Atkinson, Carla L; Capps, Krista A; Rugenski, Amanda T; Vanni, Michael J

2017-11-01

The role of animals in modulating nutrient cycling [hereafter, consumer-driven nutrient dynamics (CND)] has been accepted as an important influence on both community structure and ecosystem function in aquatic systems. Yet there is great variability in the influence of CND across species and ecosystems, and the causes of this variation are not well understood. Here, we review and synthesize the mechanisms behind CND in fresh waters. We reviewed 131 articles on CND published between 1973 and 1 June 2015. The rate of new publications in CND has increased from 1.4 papers per year during 1973-2002 to 7.3 per year during 2003-2015. The majority of investigations are in North America with many concentrating on fish. More recent studies have focused on animal-mediated nutrient excretion rates relative to nutrient demand and indirect impacts (e.g. decomposition). We identified several mechanisms that influence CND across levels of biological organization. Factors affecting the stoichiometric plasticity of consumers, including body size, feeding history and ontogeny, play an important role in determining the impact of individual consumers on nutrient dynamics and underlie the stoichiometry of CND across time and space. The abiotic characteristics of an ecosystem affect the net impact of consumers on ecosystem processes by influencing consumer metabolic processes (e.g. consumption and excretion/egestion rates), non-CND supply of nutrients and ecosystem nutrient demand. Furthermore, the transformation and transport of elements by populations and communities of consumers also influences the flow of energy and nutrients across ecosystem boundaries. This review highlights that shifts in community composition or biomass of consumers and eco-evolutionary underpinnings can have strong effects on the functional role of consumers in ecosystem processes, yet these are relatively unexplored aspects of CND. Future research should evaluate the value of using species traits and abiotic

Advances in imaging and electron physics the scanning transmission electron microscope

CERN Document Server

Hawkes, Peter W

2009-01-01

Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics merges two long-running serials--Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics and Advances in Optical and Electron Microscopy. This series features extended articles on the physics of electron devices (especially semiconductor devices), particle optics at high and low energies, microlithography, image science and digital image processing, electromagnetic wave propagation, electron microscopy, and the computing methods used in all these domains.  This particular volume presents several timely articles on the scanning transmission electron microscope. Updated with contributions from leading international scholars and industry experts Discusses hot topic areas and presents current and future research trends Provides an invaluable reference and guide for physicists, engineers and mathematicians.

Activation of Engineering Students with Clickers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Shuang Ma

2011-01-01

Electronic voting system - clickers (Mentometer®) were implemented in a secondary engineering subject: Materials Chemistry, which is a 6 ECTS point course, 4 hours each week at Engineering Faculty, University of Southern Denmark. Both teaching material and evaluation were efficiently conducted vi...

Engineering Electrochemical Setups for Electron Microscopy of Liquid Processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Eric; Burrows, Andrew

This work focuses on creating tools for imaging liquid samples at atmospheric pressure and room temperature in two different electron microscopes; the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the transmission electron microscope (TEM). The main focus of the project was the fabrication of the two sy...

Lessons learned for spatial modelling of ecosystem services in support of ecosystem accounting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schroter, M.; Remme, R.P.; Sumarga, E.; Barton, D.N.; Hein, L.G.

2015-01-01

Assessment of ecosystem services through spatial modelling plays a key role in ecosystem accounting. Spatial models for ecosystem services try to capture spatial heterogeneity with high accuracy. This endeavour, however, faces several practical constraints. In this article we analyse the trade-offs

Quantification of population sizes of large herbivores and their long-term functional role in ecosystems using dung fungal spores

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baker, Ambroise G.; Cornelissen, Perry; Bhagwat, Shonil A.; Vera, Frans M.W.; Willis, Katherine J.

2016-01-01

The relationship between large herbivore numbers and landscape cover over time is poorly understood. There are two schools of thought: one views large herbivores as relatively passive elements upon the landscape and the other as ecosystem engineers driving vegetation succession. The latter

[Research progress of ecosystem service flow.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hui Min; Fan, Yu Long; Ding, Sheng Yan

2016-07-01

With the development of social economy, human disturbance has resulted in a variety of ecosystem service degradation or disappearance. Ecosystem services flow plays an important role in delivery, transformation and maintenance of ecosystem services, and becomes one of the new research directions. In this paper, based on the classification of ecosystem services flow, we analyzed ecosystem service delivery carrier, and investigated the mechanism of ecosystem service flow, including the information, property, scale features, quantification and cartography. Moreover, a tentative analysis on cost-effective of ecosystem services flow (such as transportation costs, conversion costs, usage costs and cost of relativity) was made to analyze the consumption cost in ecosystem services flow process. It aimed to analyze dissipation cost in ecosystem services flow process. To a certain extent, the study of ecosystem service flow solved the problem of "double counting" in ecosystem services valuation, which could make a contribution for the sake of recognizing hot supply and consumption spots of ecosystem services. In addition, it would be conducive to maximizing the ecosystem service benefits in the transmission process and putting forward scientific and reasonable ecological compensation.

The record of electrical and communication engineering conversazione Tohoku University Volume 63, No. 3

Science.gov (United States)

1995-05-01

English abstracts contained are from papers authored by the research staff of the Research Institute of Electrical Communication and the departments of Electrical Engineering, Electrical Communications, Electronic Engineering, and Information Engineering, Tohoku University, which originally appeared in scientific journals in 1994. The abstracts are organized under the following disciplines: electromagnetic theory; physics; fundamental theory of information; communication theory and systems; signal and image processing; systems control; computers; artificial intelligence; recording; acoustics and speech; ultrasonic electronics; antenna, propagation, and transmission; optoelectronics and optical communications; quantum electronics; superconducting materials and applications; magnetic materials and magnetics; semiconductors; electronic materials and parts; electronic devices and integrated circuits; electronic circuits; medical electronics and bionics; measurements and applied electronics; electric power; and miscellaneous.

Mechatronics Engineering Education

OpenAIRE

Grimheden, Martin

2006-01-01

Since its emergence in the late 1960s, mechatronics has become well-established as an academic subject, and is now researched and taught at a large number of universities worldwide. The most widely-used definition of the subject today is centered on the synergistic integration of mechanical engineering, electronics, and intelligent computer control. The aim of this thesis is to work between the disciplines of engineering education and mechatronics to address both the question of the identity ...

Incorporating historical ecosystem diversity into conservation planning efforts in grass and shrub ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Amy C. Ganguli; Johathan B. Haufler; Carolyn A. Mehl; Jimmie D. Chew

2011-01-01

Understanding historical ecosystem diversity and wildlife habitat quality can provide a useful reference for managing and restoring rangeland ecosystems. We characterized historical ecosystem diversity using available empirical data, expert opinion, and the spatially explicit vegetation dynamics model SIMPPLLE (SIMulating Vegetative Patterns and Processes at Landscape...

On Man and Ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Brookfield, Harold

1982-01-01

Distinctions between natural ecosystems and human ecosystems are misleading. Natural and social sciences can be integrated through the concept of a "human-use ecosystem," in which social scientists analyze the community, household, and individual, and natural scientists analyze the land. Includes a case study of St. Kitts. (KC)

Mapping cultural ecosystem services:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paracchini, Maria Luisa; Zulian, Grazia; Kopperoinen, Leena

2014-01-01

Research on ecosystem services mapping and valuing has increased significantly in recent years. However, compared to provisioning and regulating services, cultural ecosystem services have not yet been fully integrated into operational frameworks. One reason for this is that transdisciplinarity...... surveys are a main source of information. Among cultural ecosystem services, assessment of outdoor recreation can be based on a large pool of literature developed mostly in social and medical science, and landscape and ecology studies. This paper presents a methodology to include recreation...... in the conceptual framework for EU wide ecosystem assessments (Maes et al., 2013), which couples existing approaches for recreation management at country level with behavioural data derived from surveys, and population distribution data. The proposed framework is based on three components: the ecosystem function...

ELEC-2002: ELECTRONICS IN HEP

CERN Multimedia

Technical Training; Davide.Vite@cern.ch

2001-01-01

ELEC-2002 is a 15-session modern electronic course, given by CERN physicists and engineers, in a new format within the framework of the Technical Training Programme. This course is designed for people who are not electronics specialists, for example physicists, engineers and technicians working at or visiting the laboratory, who use or will use electronics in their present or future activities, in particular in the context of the LHC accelerator and experiments. ELEC-2002 will composed of two terms: sessions will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 14h00 to 16h30, in the Training Centre Auditorium, bldg. 593. Winter term: Readout and system electronics for physics (January-February 2002) Introduction: the basics of electronics (Philippe Farthouat, 15 January) Analogue signal processing (Francis Anghinolfi, 17 January) Analogue to digital conversions and data transmission (Philippe Farthouat, 22 January) Digital design with Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (Erik van der Bij, 24 January) Modular el...

KNOVEL: A NEW SERVICE FOR THE ENGINEERING COMMUNITY

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

Electronic books available on trial at CERN Electronic preprints and journals have become tools used on a daily basis, but so far the CERN Library did not provide a significant collection of electronic books. This is now about to change, so searching for scientific information, and in particular engineering-related references, is now easier than ever before. CERN has access to the electronic book collection via Knovel on a trial base until Xmas. Knovel has a database of some of the leading engineering reference handbooks and conference proceedings, published by Reed Elsevier, ASME, ASM, Butterworth, CRC Press, McGraw-Hill and others. The full-text of all e-books can be searched simultaneously. Another Knovel feature allows users to search for data (materials properties) across the whole digital collection. The Web search engine and display interface has been developed to support a wide range of information and file types: text, tables, equations, graphics, figures. This new resource is linked to from the Libr...

Capability-Driven Design of Business Service Ecosystem to Support Risk Governance in Regulatory Ecosystems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christophe Feltus

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Risk-based regulation and risk governance gain momentum in most sectorial ecosystems, should they be the finance, the healthcare or the telecommunications ecosystems. Although there is a profusion of tools to address this issue at the corporate level, worth is to note that no solution fulfils this function at the ecosystem level yet. Therefore, in this article, the Business Service Ecosystem (BSE metamodel is semantically extended, considering the Capability as a Service (CaaS theory, in order to raise the enterprise risk management from the enterprise level up to the ecosystem level. This extension allows defining a concrete ecosystem metamodel which is afterwards mapped with an information system risk management model to support risk governance at the ecosystem level. This mapping is illustrated and validated on the basis of an application case for the Luxembourgish financial sector applied to the most important concepts from the BSE: capability, resource, service and goal.

From theoretical to actual ecosystem services: mapping beneficiaries and spatial flows in ecosystem service assessments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kenneth J. Bagstad

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Ecosystem services mapping and modeling has focused more on supply than demand, until recently. Whereas the potential provision of economic benefits from ecosystems to people is often quantified through ecological production functions, the use of and demand for ecosystem services has received less attention, as have the spatial flows of services from ecosystems to people. However, new modeling approaches that map and quantify service-specific sources (ecosystem capacity to provide a service, sinks (biophysical or anthropogenic features that deplete or alter service flows, users (user locations and level of demand, and spatial flows can provide a more complete understanding of ecosystem services. Through a case study in Puget Sound, Washington State, USA, we quantify and differentiate between the theoretical or in situ provision of services, i.e., ecosystems' capacity to supply services, and their actual provision when accounting for the location of beneficiaries and the spatial connections that mediate service flows between people and ecosystems. Our analysis includes five ecosystem services: carbon sequestration and storage, riverine flood regulation, sediment regulation for reservoirs, open space proximity, and scenic viewsheds. Each ecosystem service is characterized by different beneficiary groups and means of service flow. Using the ARtificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services (ARIES methodology we map service supply, demand, and flow, extending on simpler approaches used by past studies to map service provision and use. With the exception of the carbon sequestration service, regions that actually provided services to people, i.e., connected to beneficiaries via flow paths, amounted to 16-66% of those theoretically capable of supplying services, i.e., all ecosystems across the landscape. These results offer a more complete understanding of the spatial dynamics of ecosystem services and their effects, and may provide a sounder basis for

40 CFR 1045.230 - How do I select engine families?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... POLLUTION CONTROLS CONTROL OF EMISSIONS FROM SPARK-IGNITION PROPULSION MARINE ENGINES AND VESSELS Certifying... control for engine operation, other than governing (i.e., mechanical or electronic). (6) The numerical... engine family. You may include dedicated-fuel versions of this same engine model in the same engine...

Electronic tap-changer for distribution transformers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Faiz, Jawad [Tehran Univ. (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Univ. College of Engineering; Siahkolah, Behzad [Kavandish Company, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2011-07-01

This reference collects all relevant aspects electronic tap-changer and presents them in a comprehensive and orderly manner. It explains logically and systematically the design and optimization of a full electronic tap-changer for distribution transformers. The book provides a fully new insight to all possible structures of power section design and categorizes them comprehensively, including cost factors of the design. In the control section design, the authors review mechanical tap-changer control systems and they present the modeling of a full electronic tap-changer as well as a closed-loop control of the full-electronic tap-changer. The book is written for electrical engineers in industry and academia but should be useful also to postgraduate students of electrical engineering. (orig.)

DECOMPOSTION OF GENETICALLY ENGINEERED TOBACCO UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS: PERSISTENCE OF THE PROTEINASE INHIBITOR I PRODUCT AND EFFECTS OF SOIL MICROBIAL RESPIRATION AND PROTOZOA, NEMATODE AND MICROARTHR

Science.gov (United States)

1. To evaluate the potential effects of genetically engineered (transgenic) plants on soil ecosystems, litterbags containing leaves of non-engineered (parental) and transgenic tobacco plants were buried in field plots. The transgenic tobacco plants were genetically engineered to ...

Electrical principles and technology for engineering

CERN Document Server

Bird, John

1995-01-01

The aim of this book is to introduce students to the basic electrical and electronic principles needed by technicians in fields such as electrical engineering, electronics and telecommunications. The emphasis is on the practical aspects of the subject, and the author has followed his usual successful formula, incorporating many worked examples and problems (answers supplied) into the learning process.Electrical Principles and Technology for Engineering is John Bird's core text for Further Education courses at BTEC levels N11 and N111 and Advanced GNVQ. It is also designed to provide a comprehe

Performance and combustion analysis of Mahua biodiesel on a single cylinder compression ignition engine using electronic fuel injection system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gunasekaran Anandkumar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this investigation, experiment is carried out on a 1500 rpm constant speed single cylinder Diesel engine. The test is carried out with Neat diesel, neat biodiesel, and blend B20. The engine considered was run with electronic fuel injection system supported by common rail direct injection to obtain high atomization and effective air utilization inside the combustion chamber. The performance of the engine in terms of break thermal efficiency and brake specific energy consumption was found and compared. The B20 blend shows 1.11% decrease in break thermal efficiency and 3.35% increase in brake specific energy consumption than diesel. The combustion characteristics found are in-cylinder pressure, rate of pressure rise, and heat release rate and compared for peak pressure load to understand the nature of combustion process. For each fuel test run, the maximum peak pressure is observed at part load condition. The rate of change of pressure and heat release rate of diesel is high compared to pure biodiesel and B20 blend. The diffusion combustion is observed to be predominant in case of B100 than B20 and Neat diesel.

Agenda 21 goes electronic.

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, D

1996-01-01

The Canada Center for Remote Sensing, in collaboration with the International Development Research Center, is developing an electronic atlas of Agenda 21, the Earth Summit action plan. This initiative promises to ease access for researchers and practitioners to implement the Agenda 21-action plan, which in its pilot study will focus on biological diversity. Known as the Biodiversity Volume of the Electronic Atlas of Agenda 21 (ELADA 21), this computer software technology will contain information and data on biodiversity, genetics, species, ecosystems, and ecosystem services. Specifically, it includes several country studies, documentation, as well as interactive scenarios linking biodiversity to socioeconomic issues. ELADA 21 will empower countries and agencies to report on and better manage biodiversity and related information. The atlas can be used to develop and test various scenarios and to exchange information within the South and with industrialized countries. At present, ELADA 21 has generated interest and becomes more available in the market. The challenge confronting the project team, however, is to find the atlas a permanent home, a country or agency willing to assume responsibility for maintaining, upgrading, and updating the software.

The effects of radiation on electronic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Messenger, G.C.; Ash, M.S.

1986-01-01

This book is the first unified treatment of the analysis and design methods for protection of principally electronic systems from the deleterious effects of nuclear and electro-magnetic radiation. Coverage spans from a detailed description of the nuclear radiation sources to pertinent semiconductor physics, then to hardness assurance. This work combines the disciplines of solid state physics, semiconductor physics, circuit engineering, nuclear physics, together with electronics and electromagnetic theory into a book that can be used as a text with problems at the end of the majority of the chapters. Written by veterans in the field, the most significant feature of this book is its comprehensive treatment of the phenomena involved. This treatment includes the analysis and design of the effect of nuclear radiation on electronic systems from the experimental, theoretical, and engineering viewpoints. Unique pedagogical attempts are employed to make the material more understandable from the position of an enlightened engineering and scientific readership whose task is the design and analysis of radiation hardened electronic systems

Perception, acquisition and use of ecosystem services: human behavior, and ecosystem management and policy implications

Science.gov (United States)

Stanley T. Asah; Anne D. Guerry; Dale J. Blahna; Joshua J. Lawler

2014-01-01

Ecosystem services, fundamental to livelihoods and well-being, are reshaping environmental management and policy. However, the behavioral dimensions of ecosystem services and the responses of ordinary people to the management of those services, is less well understood. The ecosystem services framework lends itself to understanding the relationship between ecosystems...

Ecosystem Management. A Management View

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ravn-Jonsen, Lars

The need for management of the marine ecosystem using a broad perspective has been recommended under a variety of names. This paper uses the term Ecosystem Management, which is seen as a convergence between the ecological idea of an organisational hierarchy and the idea of strategic planning...... with a planning hierarchy---with the ecosystem being the strategic planning level. Management planning requires, in order to establish a quantifiable means and ends chain, that the goals at the ecosystem level can be linked to operational levels; ecosystem properties must therefore be reducible to lower...... organisational levels. Emergence caused by constraints at both the component and system levels gives rise to phenomena that can create links between the ecosystem and operational levels. To create these links, the ecosystem's functional elements must be grouped according to their functionality, ignoring any...

Going beyond the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: an index system of human dependence on ecosystem services.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Wu; Dietz, Thomas; Liu, Wei; Luo, Junyan; Liu, Jianguo

2013-01-01

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) estimated that two thirds of ecosystem services on the earth have degraded or are in decline due to the unprecedented scale of human activities during recent decades. These changes will have tremendous consequences for human well-being, and offer both risks and opportunities for a wide range of stakeholders. Yet these risks and opportunities have not been well managed due in part to the lack of quantitative understanding of human dependence on ecosystem services. Here, we propose an index of dependence on ecosystem services (IDES) system to quantify human dependence on ecosystem services. We demonstrate the construction of the IDES system using household survey data. We show that the overall index and sub-indices can reflect the general pattern of households' dependences on ecosystem services, and their variations across time, space, and different forms of capital (i.e., natural, human, financial, manufactured, and social capitals). We support the proposition that the poor are more dependent on ecosystem services and further generalize this proposition by arguing that those disadvantaged groups who possess low levels of any form of capital except for natural capital are more dependent on ecosystem services than those with greater control of capital. The higher value of the overall IDES or sub-index represents the higher dependence on the corresponding ecosystem services, and thus the higher vulnerability to the degradation or decline of corresponding ecosystem services. The IDES system improves our understanding of human dependence on ecosystem services. It also provides insights into strategies for alleviating poverty, for targeting priority groups of conservation programs, and for managing risks and opportunities due to changes of ecosystem services at multiple scales.

Ecosystem Services : In Nordic Freshwater Management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Magnussen, Kristin; Hasler, Berit; Zandersen, Marianne

Human wellbeing is dependent upon and benefit from ecosystem services which are delivered by well-functioning ecosystems. Ecosystem services can be mapped and assessed consistently within an ecosystem service framework. This project aims to explore the use and usefulness of the ecosystem service ...

Effects of Engineered Nanomaterials on Plants Growth: An Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Bagheri, Samira; Muhd Julkapli, Nurhidayatullaili; Juraimi, Abdul Shukor; Hashemi, Farahnaz Sadat Golestan

2014-01-01

Rapid development and wide applications of nanotechnology brought about a significant increment on the number of engineered nanomaterials (ENs) inevitably entering our living system. Plants comprise of a very important living component of the terrestrial ecosystem. Studies on the influence of engineered nanomaterials (carbon and metal/metal oxides based) on plant growth indicated that in the excess content, engineered nanomaterials influences seed germination. It assessed the shoot-to-root ratio and the growth of the seedlings. From the toxicological studies to date, certain types of engineered nanomaterials can be toxic once they are not bound to a substrate or if they are freely circulating in living systems. It is assumed that the different types of engineered nanomaterials affect the different routes, behavior, and the capability of the plants. Furthermore, different, or even opposing conclusions, have been drawn from most studies on the interactions between engineered nanomaterials with plants. Therefore, this paper comprehensively reviews the studies on the different types of engineered nanomaterials and their interactions with different plant species, including the phytotoxicity, uptakes, and translocation of engineered nanomaterials by the plant at the whole plant and cellular level. PMID:25202734

Ecosystem classification, Chapter 2

Science.gov (United States)

M.J. Robin-Abbott; L.H. Pardo

2011-01-01

The ecosystem classification in this report is based on the ecoregions developed through the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) for North America (CEC 1997). Only ecosystems that occur in the United States are included. CEC ecoregions are described, with slight modifications, below (CEC 1997) and shown in Figures 2.1 and 2.2. We chose this ecosystem...

From theoretical to actual ecosystem services: mapping beneficiaries and spatial flows in ecosystem service assessments

Science.gov (United States)

Bagstad, Kenneth J.; Villa, Ferdinando; Batker, David; Harrison-Cox, Jennifer; Voigt, Brian; Johnson, Gary W.

2014-01-01

Ecosystem services mapping and modeling has focused more on supply than demand, until recently. Whereas the potential provision of economic benefits from ecosystems to people is often quantified through ecological production functions, the use of and demand for ecosystem services has received less attention, as have the spatial flows of services from ecosystems to people. However, new modeling approaches that map and quantify service-specific sources (ecosystem capacity to provide a service), sinks (biophysical or anthropogenic features that deplete or alter service flows), users (user locations and level of demand), and spatial flows can provide a more complete understanding of ecosystem services. Through a case study in Puget Sound, Washington State, USA, we quantify and differentiate between the theoretical or in situ provision of services, i.e., ecosystems’ capacity to supply services, and their actual provision when accounting for the location of beneficiaries and the spatial connections that mediate service flows between people and ecosystems. Our analysis includes five ecosystem services: carbon sequestration and storage, riverine flood regulation, sediment regulation for reservoirs, open space proximity, and scenic viewsheds. Each ecosystem service is characterized by different beneficiary groups and means of service flow. Using the ARtificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services (ARIES) methodology we map service supply, demand, and flow, extending on simpler approaches used by past studies to map service provision and use. With the exception of the carbon sequestration service, regions that actually provided services to people, i.e., connected to beneficiaries via flow paths, amounted to 16-66% of those theoretically capable of supplying services, i.e., all ecosystems across the landscape. These results offer a more complete understanding of the spatial dynamics of ecosystem services and their effects, and may provide a sounder basis for economic

Data base systems in electronic design engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, D.

1980-01-01

The concepts of an integrated design data base system (DBMS) as it might apply to an electronic design company are discussed. Data elements of documentation, project specifications, project tracking, firmware, software, electronic and mechanical design can be integrated and managed through a single DBMS. Combining the attributes of a DBMS data handler with specialized systems and functional data can provide users with maximum flexibility, reduced redundancy, and increased overall systems performance. Although some system overhead is lost due to redundancy in transitory data, it is believed the combination of the two data types is advisable rather than trying to do all data handling through a single DBMS.

Measuring Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stam, F.C.

How can entrepreneurial ecosystems and productive entrepreneurship can be traced empirically and how is entrepreneurship related to entrepreneurial ecosystems. The analyses in this chapter show the value of taking a systems view on the context of entrepreneurship. We measure entrepreneurial

The biodiversity-dependent ecosystem service debt.

Science.gov (United States)

Isbell, Forest; Tilman, David; Polasky, Stephen; Loreau, Michel

2015-02-01

Habitat destruction is driving biodiversity loss in remaining ecosystems, and ecosystem functioning and services often directly depend on biodiversity. Thus, biodiversity loss is likely creating an ecosystem service debt: a gradual loss of biodiversity-dependent benefits that people obtain from remaining fragments of natural ecosystems. Here, we develop an approach for quantifying ecosystem service debts, and illustrate its use to estimate how one anthropogenic driver, habitat destruction, could indirectly diminish one ecosystem service, carbon storage, by creating an extinction debt. We estimate that c. 2-21 Pg C could be gradually emitted globally in remaining ecosystem fragments because of plant species loss caused by nearby habitat destruction. The wide range for this estimate reflects substantial uncertainties in how many plant species will be lost, how much species loss will impact ecosystem functioning and whether plant species loss will decrease soil carbon. Our exploratory analysis suggests that biodiversity-dependent ecosystem service debts can be globally substantial, even when locally small, if they occur diffusely across vast areas of remaining ecosystems. There is substantial value in conserving not only the quantity (area), but also the quality (biodiversity) of natural ecosystems for the sustainable provision of ecosystem services. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

A brief history of mechanical engineering

CERN Document Server

Dixit, Uday Shanker; Davim, J Paulo

2017-01-01

What is mechanical engineering? What a mechanical engineering does? How did the mechanical engineering change through ages? What is the future of mechanical engineering? This book answers these questions in a lucid manner. It also provides a brief chronological history of landmark events and answers questions such as: When was steam engine invented? Where was first CNC machine developed? When did the era of additive manufacturing start? When did the marriage of mechanical and electronics give birth to discipline of mechatronics? This book informs and create interest on mechanical engineering in the general public and particular in students. It also helps to sensitize the engineering fraternity about the historical aspects of engineering. At the same time, it provides a common sense knowledge of mechanical engineering in a handy manner.

Sixth Israel materials engineering conference IMEC VI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-02-01

Works on material engineering are presented. The main material types are: metals, alloys, superalloys, coatings, ceramics, composites, electronic materials,organic polymers and thin films. The following engineering aspects are presented: metallurgy, mechanical and physical properties, crystal structure and corrosion

Numerical simulations of the thermionic electron gun for electron-beam welding and micromachining

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jánský, Pavel; Zlámal, J.; Lencová, Bohumila; Zobač, Martin; Vlček, Ivan; Radlička, Tomáš

2009-01-01

Roč. 84, č. 2 (2009), s. 357-362 ISSN 0042-207X R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA100650805 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20650511 Keywords : Numerical simulation * Thermionic emission * Electron gun Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 0.975, year: 2009

Coupled cryoconite ecosystem structure-function relationships are revealed by comparing bacterial communities in alpine and Arctic glaciers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Edwards, Arwyn; Mur, Luis A. J.; Girdwood, Susan E.

2014-01-01

Cryoconite holes are known as foci of microbial diversity and activity on polar glacier surfaces, but are virtually unexplored microbial habitats in alpine regions. In addition, whether cryoconite community structure reflects ecosystem functionality is poorly understood. Terminal restriction...... revealed Proteobacteria were particularly abundant, with Cyanobacteria likely acting as ecosystem engineers in both alpine and Arctic cryoconite communities. However, despite these generalities, significant differences in bacterial community structures, compositions and metabolomes are found between alpine...... fragment length polymorphism and Fourier transform infrared metabolite fingerprinting of cryoconite from glaciers in Austria, Greenland and Svalbard demonstrated cryoconite bacterial communities are closely correlated with cognate metabolite fingerprints. The influence of bacterial-associated fatty acids...

Advances in communication systems and electrical engineering

CERN Document Server

Huang, Xu

2008-01-01

This volume contains contributions from participants in the 2007 International Multiconference of Engineers and Computer Scientists Topics covered include communications theory, communications protocols, network management, wireless networks, telecommunication, electronics, power engineering, control engineering, signal processing, and industrial applications. The book will offer the states of arts of tremendous advances in communication systems and electrical engineering and also serve as an excellent reference work for researchers and graduate students working with/on communication systems a

A glossary of terms in measuring and automation engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schruefer, E.

1992-01-01

This German-language glossary has been compiled by cooperative work of more than sixty authors. It contains 1800 terms and their definitions relating to measuring engineering, sensor science and engineering, testing engineering, display and read-out techniques, physical quantities, control systems, fundamentals of control engineering, engineered reliability, process control engineering, robot technology, artificial intelligence and expert systems, simulation and modelling, navigation, electronic and electromechanical components, and microtechnology. (RHM) [de

Global Journal of Engineering Research: Editorial Policies

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Focus and Scope. The Global Journal of Engineering Research is aimed at promoting research in all areas of Engineering Research including Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, Chemical, Electronics, Geological etc. Section Policies. Articles. Checked Open Submissions, Checked Indexed, Checked Peer Reviewed. Publication ...

Software Development for EECU Platform of Turbofan Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Bo Gyoung; Kwak, Dohyup; Kim, Byunghyun; Choi, Hee ju; Kong, Changduk

2017-04-01

The turbofan engine operation consists of a number of hardware and software. The engine is controlled by Electronic Engine Control Unit (EECU). In order to control the engine, EECU communicates with an aircraft system, Actuator Drive Unit (ADU), Engine Power Unit (EPU) and sensors on the engine. This paper tried to investigate the process form starting to taking-off and aims to design the EECU software mode and defined communication data format. The software is implemented according to the designed software mode.

Elasticity in ecosystem services: exploring the variable relationship between ecosystems and human well-being

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tim M. Daw

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Although ecosystem services are increasingly recognized as benefits people obtain from nature, we still have a poor understanding of how they actually enhance multidimensional human well-being, and how well-being is affected by ecosystem change. We develop a concept of "ecosystem service elasticity" (ES elasticity that describes the sensitivity of human well-being to changes in ecosystems. ES Elasticity is a result of complex social and ecological dynamics and is context dependent, individually variable, and likely to demonstrate nonlinear dynamics such as thresholds and hysteresis. We present a conceptual framework that unpacks the chain of causality from ecosystem stocks through flows, goods, value, and shares to contribute to the well-being of different people. This framework builds on previous conceptualizations, but places multidimensional well-being of different people as the final element. This ultimately disaggregated approach emphasizes how different people access benefits and how benefits match their needs or aspirations. Applying this framework to case studies of individual coastal ecosystem services in East Africa illustrates a wide range of social and ecological factors that can affect ES elasticity. For example, food web and habitat dynamics affect the sensitivity of different fisheries ecosystem services to ecological change. Meanwhile high cultural significance, or lack of alternatives enhance ES elasticity, while social mechanisms that prevent access can reduce elasticity. Mapping out how chains are interlinked illustrates how different types of value and the well-being of different people are linked to each other and to common ecological stocks. We suggest that examining chains for individual ecosystem services can suggest potential interventions aimed at poverty alleviation and sustainable ecosystems while mapping out of interlinkages between chains can help to identify possible ecosystem service trade-offs and winners and

Scenarios for Ecosystem Services: An Overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen R. Carpenter

2006-06-01

Full Text Available The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA scenarios address changes in ecosystem services and their implications for human well-being. Ecological changes pose special challenges for long-term thinking, because of the possibility of regime shifts that occur rapidly yet alter the availability of ecosystem services for generations. Moreover, ecological feedbacks can intensify human modification of ecosystems, creating a spiral of poverty and ecosystem degradation. Such complex dynamics were evaluated by a mixture of qualitative and quantitative analyses in the MA scenarios. Collectively, the scenarios explore problems such as the connections of poverty reduction and ecosystem services, and trade-offs among ecosystem services. Several promising approaches are considered by the scenarios, including uses of biodiversity to build resilience of ecosystem services, actively adaptive management, and green technology. Although the scenarios do not prescribe an optimal path, they illuminate the consequences of different policies toward ecosystem services.

Socio-ecosystems and urban habitats

Science.gov (United States)

Margarita V. Alario

2007-01-01

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA)—a United Nations effort to assess the health of major global ecosystems—reported that over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable time in history. Around two thirds of the ecosystems services (anything from fresh water to air) are being degraded or used unsustainably...

Electrothermal evaluation of thick GaN epitaxial layers and AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors on large-area engineered substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Travis J.; Koehler, Andrew D.; Tadjer, Marko J.; Hite, Jennifer K.; Nath, Anindya; Mahadik, Nadeemullah A.; Aktas, Ozgur; Odnoblyudov, Vladimir; Basceri, Cem; Hobart, Karl D.; Kub, Francis J.

2017-12-01

AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) device layers were grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on commercial engineered QST™ substrates to demonstrate a path to scalable, cost-effective foundry processing while supporting the thick epitaxial layers required for power HEMT structures. HEMT structures on 150 mm Si substrates were also evaluated. The HEMTs on engineered substrates exhibited material quality, DC performance, and forward blocking performance superior to those of the HEMT on Si. GaN device layers up to 15 µm were demonstrated with a wafer bow of 1 µm, representing the thickest films grown on 150-mm-diameter substrates with low bow to date.

Developing an Innovation Engine to Make Canada a Global Leader in Cybersecurity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tony Bailetti

2013-08-01

Full Text Available An engine designed to convert innovation into a country’s global leadership position in a specific product market is examined in this article, using Canada and cybersecurity as an example. Five entities are core to the innovation engine: an ecosystem, a project community, an external community, a platform, and a corporation. The ecosystem is the focus of innovation in firm-specific factors that determine outcomes in global competition; the project community is the focus of innovation in research and development; and the external community is the focus of innovation in resources produced and used by economic actors that operate outside of the focal product market. Strategic intent, governance, resource flows, and organizational agreements bind the five entities together. Operating the innovation engine in Canada is expected to improve the level and quality of prosperity, security, and capacity of Canadians, increase the number of Canadian-based companies that successfully compete globally in cybersecurity product markets, and better protect Canada’s critical infrastructure. Researchers interested in learning how to create, implement, improve, and grow innovation engines will find this article interesting. The article will also be of interest to senior management teams in industry and government, chief information and technology officers, social and policy analysts, academics, and individual citizens who wish to learn how to secure cyberspace.

Adhesives technology for electronic applications materials, processing, reliability

CERN Document Server

Licari, James J

2011-01-01

Adhesives are widely used in the manufacture and assembly of electronic circuits and products. Generally, electronics design engineers and manufacturing engineers are not well versed in adhesives, while adhesion chemists have a limited knowledge of electronics. This book bridges these knowledge gaps and is useful to both groups. The book includes chapters covering types of adhesive, the chemistry on which they are based, and their properties, applications, processes, specifications, and reliability. Coverage of toxicity, environmental impacts and the regulatory framework make this book par

Ethics and the UN Sustainable Development Goals : The Case for Comprehensive Engineering: Commentary on “Using Student Engagement to Relocate Ethics to the Core of the Engineering Curriculum”

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Hoven, M.J.

2016-01-01

In the twenty-first century, the urgent problems the world is facing (the UN Sustainable Development Goals) are increasingly related to vast and intricate ‘systems of systems’, which comprise both socio-technical and eco-systems. In order for engineers to adequately and responsibly respond to

Defining Ecosystem Assets for Natural Capital Accounting.

Science.gov (United States)

Hein, Lars; Bagstad, Ken; Edens, Bram; Obst, Carl; de Jong, Rixt; Lesschen, Jan Peter

2016-01-01

In natural capital accounting, ecosystems are assets that provide ecosystem services to people. Assets can be measured using both physical and monetary units. In the international System of Environmental-Economic Accounting, ecosystem assets are generally valued on the basis of the net present value of the expected flow of ecosystem services. In this paper we argue that several additional conceptualisations of ecosystem assets are needed to understand ecosystems as assets, in support of ecosystem assessments, ecosystem accounting and ecosystem management. In particular, we define ecosystems' capacity and capability to supply ecosystem services, as well as the potential supply of ecosystem services. Capacity relates to sustainable use levels of multiple ecosystem services, capability involves prioritising the use of one ecosystem service over a basket of services, and potential supply considers the ability of ecosystems to generate services regardless of demand for these services. We ground our definitions in the ecosystem services and accounting literature, and illustrate and compare the concepts of flow, capacity, capability, and potential supply with a range of conceptual and real-world examples drawn from case studies in Europe and North America. Our paper contributes to the development of measurement frameworks for natural capital to support environmental accounting and other assessment frameworks.

Contribution to the evaluation of impact on ecosystems of the valorization of thermal process residues in road engineering; Contribution a l'evaluation de l'impact sur les ecosystemes de la valorisation de residus de procedes thermiques en BTP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barthet, L.

2003-07-01

For several years, Municipal Solid Waste Incineration (MSWI) bottom ash and coal fly ash have been reused in civil engineering. Although their physical-chemical characteristics are very studied, the toxicity of these materials is the issue of few works. This study aims at contributing to the evaluation of the impact on the ecosystems of the valorization of these residues of thermal processes (RTP) in road engineering. We have compared the potential toxicity of MSWI bottom ash resulting from traditional collection and MSWI bottom ash resulting from selective collection. Since physicochemical parameters of MSWI bottom ash weathering is quite important, we will see the effect of artificial carbonation on the potential toxicity. We have chosen to work with whole-cell microorganisms from the compartment of the producers (algae: Chlorella vulgaris) and from the compartment of the decomposers (yeasts: Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The use of tests using global metabolism (algae growth) and more specific tests (enzymatic activities) have allowed to compare the potential toxicity of MSWI bottom ash resulting from traditional collection and MSWI bottom ash resulting from selective collection. These bioassays have shown that artificial carbonation may decrease the potential toxicity of these MSWI bottom ash. The behavior of coal fly ash used in various scenarios of pilots of road has also been revealed. The development of an optical bio-sensor with immobilized whole cells will enable on line and in-situ monitoring of pollutants salting out MSWI bottom ash and coal fly-ash from pilots of roads. (author)

Ensemble ecosystem modeling for predicting ecosystem response to predator reintroduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Christopher M; Gordon, Ascelin; Bode, Michael

2017-04-01

Introducing a new or extirpated species to an ecosystem is risky, and managers need quantitative methods that can predict the consequences for the recipient ecosystem. Proponents of keystone predator reintroductions commonly argue that the presence of the predator will restore ecosystem function, but this has not always been the case, and mathematical modeling has an important role to play in predicting how reintroductions will likely play out. We devised an ensemble modeling method that integrates species interaction networks and dynamic community simulations and used it to describe the range of plausible consequences of 2 keystone-predator reintroductions: wolves (Canis lupus) to Yellowstone National Park and dingoes (Canis dingo) to a national park in Australia. Although previous methods for predicting ecosystem responses to such interventions focused on predicting changes around a given equilibrium, we used Lotka-Volterra equations to predict changing abundances through time. We applied our method to interaction networks for wolves in Yellowstone National Park and for dingoes in Australia. Our model replicated the observed dynamics in Yellowstone National Park and produced a larger range of potential outcomes for the dingo network. However, we also found that changes in small vertebrates or invertebrates gave a good indication about the potential future state of the system. Our method allowed us to predict when the systems were far from equilibrium. Our results showed that the method can also be used to predict which species may increase or decrease following a reintroduction and can identify species that are important to monitor (i.e., species whose changes in abundance give extra insight into broad changes in the system). Ensemble ecosystem modeling can also be applied to assess the ecosystem-wide implications of other types of interventions including assisted migration, biocontrol, and invasive species eradication. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

Simulated environmental risk estimation of engineered nanomaterials: a case of cosmetics in Johannesburg City

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Musee, N

2011-09-01

Full Text Available This paper attempts to quantify the potential risks posed by engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) to the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems from cosmetic-based nanoproducts. The predicted environmental concentrations (PEC) were modelled for the silver (n...

Analyzing, Modelling, and Designing Software Ecosystems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Manikas, Konstantinos

as the software development and distribution by a set of actors dependent on each other and the ecosystem. We commence on the hypothesis that the establishment of a software ecosystem on the telemedicine services of Denmark would address these issues and investigate how a software ecosystem can foster...... the development, implementation, and use of telemedicine services. We initially expand the theory of software ecosystems by contributing to the definition and understanding of software ecosystems, providing means of analyzing existing and designing new ecosystems, and defining and measuring the qualities...... of software ecosystems. We use these contributions to design a software ecosystem in the telemedicine services of Denmark with (i) a common platform that supports and promotes development from different actors, (ii) high software interaction, (iii) strong social network of actors, (iv) robust business...

Analysis of Dynamic Complexity of the Cyber Security Ecosystem of Colombia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angélica Flórez

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This paper presents two proposals for the analysis of the complexity of the Cyber security Ecosystem of Colombia (CEC. This analysis shows the available knowledge about entities engaged in cyber security in Colombia and the relationships between them, which allow an understanding of the synergy between the different existing components. The complexity of the CEC is detailed from the view of the Influence Diagram of System Dynamics and the Domain Diagram of Software Engineering. The resulting model makes cyber security evident as a strategic component of national security.

Vacuum nanoelectronic devices novel electron sources and applications

CERN Document Server

Evtukh, Anatoliy; Yilmazoglu, Oktay; Mimura, Hidenori; Pavlidis, Dimitris

2015-01-01

Introducing up-to-date coverage of research in electron field emission from nanostructures, Vacuum Nanoelectronic Devices outlines the physics of quantum nanostructures, basic principles of electron field emission, and vacuum nanoelectronic devices operation, and offers as insight state-of-the-art and future researches and developments.  This book also evaluates the results of research and development of novel quantum electron sources that will determine the future development of vacuum nanoelectronics. Further to this, the influence of quantum mechanical effects on high frequency vacuum nanoelectronic devices is also assessed. Key features: In-depth description and analysis of the fundamentals of Quantum Electron effects in novel electron sources. Comprehensive and up-to-date summary of the physics and technologies for THz sources for students of physical and engineering specialties and electronics engineers. Unique coverage of quantum physical results for electron-field emission and novel electron sourc...

Remote Experiments in Control Engineering Education Laboratory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milica B Naumović

2008-05-01

Full Text Available This paper presents Automatic Control Engineering Laboratory (ACEL - WebLab, an under-developed, internet-based remote laboratory for control engineering education at the Faculty of Electronic Engineering in Niš. Up to now, the remote laboratory integrates two physical systems (velocity servo system and magnetic levitation system and enables some levels of measurement and control. To perform experiments in ACEL-WebLab, the "LabVIEW Run Time Engine"and a standard web browser are needed.

Chemical and engineering approaches to enable organic field-effect transistors for electronic skin applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Sokolov, Anatoliy N; Tee, Benjamin C-K; Bettinger, Christopher J; Tok, Jeffrey B-H; Bao, Zhenan

2012-03-20

Skin is the body's largest organ and is responsible for the transduction of a vast amount of information. This conformable material simultaneously collects signals from external stimuli that translate into information such as pressure, pain, and temperature. The development of an electronic material, inspired by the complexity of this organ is a tremendous, unrealized engineering challenge. However, the advent of carbon-based electronics may offer a potential solution to this long-standing problem. In this Account, we describe the use of an organic field-effect transistor (OFET) architecture to transduce mechanical and chemical stimuli into electrical signals. In developing this mimic of human skin, we thought of the sensory elements of the OFET as analogous to the various layers and constituents of skin. In this fashion, each layer of the OFET can be optimized to carry out a specific recognition function. The separation of multimodal sensing among the components of the OFET may be considered a "divide and conquer" approach, where the electronic skin (e-skin) can take advantage of the optimized chemistry and materials properties of each layer. This design of a novel microstructured gate dielectric has led to unprecedented sensitivity for tactile pressure events. Typically, pressure-sensitive components within electronic configurations have suffered from a lack of sensitivity or long mechanical relaxation times often associated with elastomeric materials. Within our method, these components are directly compatible with OFETs and have achieved the highest reported sensitivity to date. Moreover, the tactile sensors operate on a time scale comparable with human skin, making them ideal candidates for integration as synthetic skin devices. The methodology is compatible with large-scale fabrication and employs simple, commercially available elastomers. The design of materials within the semiconductor layer has led to the incorporation of selectivity and sensitivity within

All India Seminar on Biomedical Engineering 2012

CERN Document Server

Bhatele, Mukta

2013-01-01

This book is a collection of articles presented by researchers and practitioners, including engineers, biologists, health professionals and informatics/computer scientists, interested in both theoretical advances and applications of information systems, artificial intelligence, signal processing, electronics and other engineering tools in areas related to biology and medicine in the All India Seminar on Biomedical Engineering 2012 (AISOBE 2012), organized by The Institution of Engineers (India), Jabalpur Local Centre, Jabalpur, India during November 3-4, 2012. The content of the book is useful to doctors, engineers, researchers and academicians as well as industry professionals.

Appropriate experimental ecosystem warming methods by ecosystem, objective, and practicality

Science.gov (United States)

E.L. Aronson; S.G. McNulty

2009-01-01

The temperature of the Earth is rising, and is highly likely to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The study of the effects of sustained heating on the ecosystems of the world is necessary so that wemight predict and respond to coming changes on both large and small spatial scales. To this end, ecosystem warming studies have...

Defining Ecosystem Assets for Natural Capital Accounting

Science.gov (United States)

Hein, Lars; Bagstad, Ken; Edens, Bram; Obst, Carl; de Jong, Rixt; Lesschen, Jan Peter

2016-01-01

In natural capital accounting, ecosystems are assets that provide ecosystem services to people. Assets can be measured using both physical and monetary units. In the international System of Environmental-Economic Accounting, ecosystem assets are generally valued on the basis of the net present value of the expected flow of ecosystem services. In this paper we argue that several additional conceptualisations of ecosystem assets are needed to understand ecosystems as assets, in support of ecosystem assessments, ecosystem accounting and ecosystem management. In particular, we define ecosystems’ capacity and capability to supply ecosystem services, as well as the potential supply of ecosystem services. Capacity relates to sustainable use levels of multiple ecosystem services, capability involves prioritising the use of one ecosystem service over a basket of services, and potential supply considers the ability of ecosystems to generate services regardless of demand for these services. We ground our definitions in the ecosystem services and accounting literature, and illustrate and compare the concepts of flow, capacity, capability, and potential supply with a range of conceptual and real-world examples drawn from case studies in Europe and North America. Our paper contributes to the development of measurement frameworks for natural capital to support environmental accounting and other assessment frameworks. PMID:27828969

Defining ecosystem assets for natural capital accounting

Science.gov (United States)

Hein, Lars; Bagstad, Kenneth J.; Edens, Bram; Obst, Carl; de Jong, Rixt; Lesschen, Jan Peter

2016-01-01

In natural capital accounting, ecosystems are assets that provide ecosystem services to people. Assets can be measured using both physical and monetary units. In the international System of Environmental-Economic Accounting, ecosystem assets are generally valued on the basis of the net present value of the expected flow of ecosystem services. In this paper we argue that several additional conceptualisations of ecosystem assets are needed to understand ecosystems as assets, in support of ecosystem assessments, ecosystem accounting and ecosystem management. In particular, we define ecosystems’ capacity and capability to supply ecosystem services, as well as the potential supply of ecosystem services. Capacity relates to sustainable use levels of multiple ecosystem services, capability involves prioritising the use of one ecosystem service over a basket of services, and potential supply considers the ability of ecosystems to generate services regardless of demand for these services. We ground our definitions in the ecosystem services and accounting literature, and illustrate and compare the concepts of flow, capacity, capability, and potential supply with a range of conceptual and real-world examples drawn from case studies in Europe and North America. Our paper contributes to the development of measurement frameworks for natural capital to support environmental accounting and other assessment frameworks.

Engineering aspects of radiometric logging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huppert, P.

1982-01-01

Engineering problems encountered in the development of nuclear borehole logging techniques are discussed. Spectrometric techniques require electronic stability of the equipment. In addition the electronics must be capable of handling high count rates of randomly distributed pulses of fast rise time from the detector and the systems must be designed so that precise calibration is possible under field operating conditions. Components of a logging system are discussed in detail. They include the logging probe (electronics, detector, high voltage supply, preamplifier), electronic instrumentation for data collection and processing and auxiliary equipment

Teaching practice and reform of the cultivation of excellent engineer based on the idea of engineering education

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Hanxin; Xiong, Feibing; Huang, Zhangchao; Bai, Zijun

2017-08-01

How to realize the joint cultivation of excellent engineer for the school and the enterprise is an important task of the project of excellent engineers. In five years of teaching practice, based on the concept of engineering education certification, through target management of school and enterprise, cultural fusion, stage implementation and feedback, excellent engineer education training plan of opto-electronic specialty is being implemented. It standardizes the specialty construction and practice and explores new teaching management mode, which gets the recognition of graduates and enterprises and achieves a win-win situation for school and enterprise.

The Economics of Ecosystems: Efficiency, Sustainability and Equity in Ecosystem Management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hein, L.G.

2010-01-01

The Economics of Ecosystems demonstrates how the concepts of economic efficiency, sustainability and equity can be applied in ecosystem management. The book presents an overview of these three key concepts, a framework for their analysis and modelling and three case studies. Specific attention is

A Size-based Ecosystem Model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ravn-Jonsen, Lars

 Ecosystem Management requires models that can link the ecosystem level to the operation level. This link can be created by an ecosystem production model. Because the function of the individual fish in the marine ecosystem, seen in trophic context, is closely related to its size, the model groups...... fish according to size. The model summarises individual predation events into ecosystem level properties, and thereby uses the law of conversation of mass as a framework. This paper provides the background, the conceptual model, basic assumptions, integration of fishing activities, mathematical...... the predator--prey interaction, (ii) mass balance in the predator--prey allocation, and (iii) mortality and somatic growth as a consequence of the predator--prey allocation. By incorporating additional assumptions, the model can be extended to other dimensions of the ecosystem, for example, space or species...

Dual Electron Spectrometer for Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission: Results of the Comprehensive Tests of the Engineering Test Unit

Science.gov (United States)

Avanov, Levon A.; Gliese, Ulrik; Mariano, Albert; Tucker, Corey; Barrie, Alexander; Chornay, Dennis J.; Pollock, Craig James; Kujawski, Joseph T.; Collinson, Glyn A.; Nguyen, Quang T.;

Small Engines as Bottoming Cycle Steam Expanders for Internal Combustion Engines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rohitha Weerasinghe

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Heat recovery bottoming cycles for internal combustion engines have opened new avenues for research into small steam expanders (Stobart and Weerasinghe, 2006. Dependable data for small steam expanders will allow us to predict their suitability as bottoming cycle engines and the fuel economy achieved by using them as bottoming cycles. Present paper is based on results of experiments carried out on small scale Wankel and two-stroke reciprocating engines as air expanders and as steam expanders. A test facility developed at Sussex used for measurements is comprised of a torque, power and speed measurements, electronic actuation of valves, synchronized data acquisition of pressure, and temperatures of steam and inside of the engines for steam and internal combustion cycles. Results are presented for four engine modes, namely, reciprocating engine in uniflow steam expansion mode and air expansion mode and rotary Wankel engine in steam expansion mode and air expansion mode. The air tests will provide base data for friction and motoring effects whereas steam tests will tell how effective the engines will be in this mode. Results for power, torque, and p-V diagrams are compared to determine the change in performance from air expansion mode to steam expansion mode.

Electronics circuits and systems

CERN Document Server

Bishop, Owen

2007-01-01

The material in Electronics - Circuits and Systems is a truly up-to-date textbook, with coverage carefully matched to the electronics units of the 2007 BTEC National Engineering and the latest AS and A Level specifications in Electronics from AQA, OCR and WJEC. The material has been organized with a logical learning progression, making it ideal for a wide range of pre-degree courses in electronics. The approach is student-centred and includes: numerous examples and activities; web research topics; Self Test features, highlighted key facts, formulae and definitions. Each chapter ends with a set

Electronics circuits and systems

CERN Document Server

Bishop, Owen

2011-01-01

The material in Electronics - Circuits and Systems is a truly up-to-date textbook, with coverage carefully matched to the electronics units of the 2007 BTEC National Engineering and the latest AS and A Level specifications in Electronics from AQA, OCR and WJEC. The material has been organized with a logical learning progression, making it ideal for a wide range of pre-degree courses in electronics. The approach is student-centred and includes: numerous examples and activities; web research topics; Self Test features, highlighted key facts, formulae and definitions. Ea

Techno-ecological synergy: a framework for sustainable engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Bakshi, Bhavik R; Ziv, Guy; Lepech, Michael D

2015-02-03

Even though the importance of ecosystems in sustaining all human activities is well-known, methods for sustainable engineering fail to fully account for this role of nature. Most methods account for the demand for ecosystem services, but almost none account for the supply. Incomplete accounting of the very foundation of human well-being can result in perverse outcomes from decisions meant to enhance sustainability and lost opportunities for benefiting from the ability of nature to satisfy human needs in an economically and environmentally superior manner. This paper develops a framework for understanding and designing synergies between technological and ecological systems to encourage greater harmony between human activities and nature. This framework considers technological systems ranging from individual processes to supply chains and life cycles, along with corresponding ecological systems at multiple spatial scales ranging from local to global. The demand for specific ecosystem services is determined from information about emissions and resource use, while the supply is obtained from information about the capacity of relevant ecosystems. Metrics calculate the sustainability of individual ecosystem services at multiple spatial scales and help define necessary but not sufficient conditions for local and global sustainability. Efforts to reduce ecological overshoot encourage enhancement of life cycle efficiency, development of industrial symbiosis, innovative designs and policies, and ecological restoration, thus combining the best features of many existing methods. Opportunities for theoretical and applied research to make this framework practical are also discussed.

Influence analysis of electronically and vibrationally excited particles on the ignition of methane and hydrogen under the conditions of a gas turbine engine

Science.gov (United States)

Deminskii, M. A.; Konina, K. M.; Potapkin, B. V.

2018-03-01

The vibronic and electronic energy relaxation phenomena in the specific conditions of a gas turbine engine were investigated in this paper. The plasma-chemical mechanism has been augmented with the results of recent investigations of the processes that involve electronically and vibrationally excited species. The updated mechanism was employed for the computer simulation of plasma-assisted combustion of hydrogen-air and methane-air mixtures under high pressure and in the range of initial temperatures T  =  500-900 K. The updated mechanism was verified using the experimental data. The influence of electronically excited nitrogen on the ignition delay time was analyzed. The rate coefficient of the vibration-vibration exchange between N2 and HO2 was calculated as well as the rate coefficient of HO2 decomposition.

ELEC-2002: Electronics in HEP

CERN Multimedia

Davide Vitè

2002-01-01

ELEC-2002 is a 15-session modern electronic course, given by CERN physicists and engineers, in a new format within the framework of the Technical Training Programme. This course is designed for people who are not electronics specialists, for example physicists, engineers and technicians working at or visiting the laboratory, who use or will use electronics in their present or future activities, in particular in the context of the LHC accelerator and experiments. ELEC-2002 is composed of two terms: sessions take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 14h00 to 16h30. Spring term: Integrated circuits and VLSI technology for physics (April 2002) Introduction to VLSI (Paulo Moreira, 9 April) Basic digital design (Paulo Moreira, 11 April) Analogue design technologies (Francis Anghinolfi, 16 April) Radiation effects in electronics devices and circuits (Federico Faccio, 18 April) Digital design: design methodology and tools (Jorgen Christiansen, 23 April) Digital design: production (Jorgen Christiansen, 25 Apr...

Electromotor actuators with integrated electronics for control of modern internal combustion engines; Elektromotorische Steller mit integrierter Elektronik zur Regelung moderner Verbrennungsmotoren

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krome, J.; Dorissen, H.T.; Duerkopp, K. [Hella KG Hueck and Co., Lippstadt (Germany)

2002-07-01

Combustion and emission specifications make increasing demands on motor car control systems, and pneumatic control elements are getting replaced by specialized electromotor systems. The contribution describes an electromotor actuator with integrated electronics which is suited for the extreme conditions inside motor engines and is already produced in series in turbo-supercharger engines with variable turbine geometries. [German] Durch die gestiegenen Anforderungen an Verbrauch und Emissionen werden auch immer hoehere Ansprueche an Stell- und Regelsysteme im Kraftfahrzeug gestellt. Dies fuehrt unter anderem dazu, dass die heute eingesetzten pneumatischen Stellsysteme zunehmend durch spezialisierte elektromotorische Systeme ersetzt werden. In diesem Beitrag wird ein elektromotorischer Aktuator mit integrierter Elektronik vorgestellt. Der Steller ist fuer die extremen Umgebungsbedingungen von Motoranbauteilen qualifiziert und wird bereits in Serie zur Verstellung von Turboladern mit variabler Turbinengeometrie eingesetzt. (orig.)

Reliability Engineering Handbook

Science.gov (United States)

1964-06-01

Operations Research for Management, Volume 11 by McCloskey and Coppinger, pp 329-339. ( Actuarial 24. Barlow, Rt. E., and Hunter, L. C., approach to failure...Engineers ( ASME ). (Pro- ceedings published) National Convention on Aeronautical Electronics - Sponsored by I.R.E. Annual Meeting - American

Development of Toyota new 1GZ-FE engine; Shingata V12 gasoline engine no kaihatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kawamura, H; Asahi, T; Goto, M; Endo, K; Terada, M [Toyota Motor Corp., Aichi (Japan)

1997-10-01

The first V-12 cylinder engine for passenger car in Japan, the 1GZ-FE, which is the status of high luxury vehicles has been developed. In order to proceed the merit of V-12 cylinder engine, Intelligent Variable Valve Timing (VVT-i) system, Slant squish combustion chamber, Iridium pole spark plug and Intelligent electronic throttle control system were introduced. Through these features this new 1GZ-FE has achieved an overwhelming smoothness and quietness and yet highest torque among the same displacement engine at low and medium engine speed. Additionally the 1GZ-FE achieved good fuel economy and high reliability which exceed any other competitors. 14 refs., 4 figs.

Tissue-electronics interfaces: from implantable devices to engineered tissues

Science.gov (United States)

Feiner, Ron; Dvir, Tal

2018-01-01

Biomedical electronic devices are interfaced with the human body to extract precise medical data and to interfere with tissue function by providing electrical stimuli. In this Review, we outline physiologically and pathologically relevant tissue properties and processes that are important for designing implantable electronic devices. We summarize design principles for flexible and stretchable electronics that adapt to the mechanics of soft tissues, such as those including conducting polymers, liquid metal alloys, metallic buckling and meandering architectures. We further discuss technologies for inserting devices into the body in a minimally invasive manner and for eliminating them without further intervention. Finally, we introduce the concept of integrating electronic devices with biomaterials and cells, and we envision how such technologies may lead to the development of bionic organs for regenerative medicine.

Management Strategy Evaluation Applied to Coral Reef Ecosystems in Support of Ecosystem-Based Management.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariska Weijerman

Full Text Available Ecosystem modelling is increasingly used to explore ecosystem-level effects of changing environmental conditions and management actions. For coral reefs there has been increasing interest in recent decades in the use of ecosystem models for evaluating the effects of fishing and the efficacy of marine protected areas. However, ecosystem models that integrate physical forcings, biogeochemical and ecological dynamics, and human induced perturbations are still underdeveloped. We applied an ecosystem model (Atlantis to the coral reef ecosystem of Guam using a suite of management scenarios prioritized in consultation with local resource managers to review the effects of each scenario on performance measures related to the ecosystem, the reef-fish fishery (e.g., fish landings and coral habitat. Comparing tradeoffs across the selected scenarios showed that each scenario performed best for at least one of the selected performance indicators. The integrated 'full regulation' scenario outperformed other scenarios with four out of the six performance metrics at the cost of reef-fish landings. This model application quantifies the socio-ecological costs and benefits of alternative management scenarios. When the effects of climate change were taken into account, several scenarios performed equally well, but none prevented a collapse in coral biomass over the next few decades assuming a business-as-usual greenhouse gas emissions scenario.

Management Strategy Evaluation Applied to Coral Reef Ecosystems in Support of Ecosystem-Based Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Weijerman, Mariska; Fulton, Elizabeth A; Brainard, Russell E

2016-01-01

Ecosystem modelling is increasingly used to explore ecosystem-level effects of changing environmental conditions and management actions. For coral reefs there has been increasing interest in recent decades in the use of ecosystem models for evaluating the effects of fishing and the efficacy of marine protected areas. However, ecosystem models that integrate physical forcings, biogeochemical and ecological dynamics, and human induced perturbations are still underdeveloped. We applied an ecosystem model (Atlantis) to the coral reef ecosystem of Guam using a suite of management scenarios prioritized in consultation with local resource managers to review the effects of each scenario on performance measures related to the ecosystem, the reef-fish fishery (e.g., fish landings) and coral habitat. Comparing tradeoffs across the selected scenarios showed that each scenario performed best for at least one of the selected performance indicators. The integrated 'full regulation' scenario outperformed other scenarios with four out of the six performance metrics at the cost of reef-fish landings. This model application quantifies the socio-ecological costs and benefits of alternative management scenarios. When the effects of climate change were taken into account, several scenarios performed equally well, but none prevented a collapse in coral biomass over the next few decades assuming a business-as-usual greenhouse gas emissions scenario.

Electronic properties of in-plane phase engineered 1T'/2H/1T' MoS2