Thermal environment in simulated offices with convective and radiant cooling systems under cooling (summer) mode of operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mustakallio, Panu; Bolashikov, Zhecho Dimitrov; Kostov, Kalin

2016-01-01

The thermal environment in a double office room and in a six-person meeting room obtained with chilled beam (CB), chilled beam with radiant panel (CBR), chilled ceiling with ceiling installed mixing ventilation (CCMV) and four desk partition-mounted local radiant cooling panels with mixing...... calculated. Manikin-based equivalent temperature (MBET) was determined by using two thermal manikins to identify the impact of the local thermal conditions generated by the studied systems on occupants' thermal perception. The results revealed that the differences in the thermal conditions achieved...

Perceived Speech Privacy in Computer Simulated Open-plan Offices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pop, Claudiu B.; Rindel, Jens Holger

2005-01-01

In open plan offices the lack of speech privacy between the workstations is one of the major acoustic problems. Improving the speech privacy in an open plan design is therefore the main concern for a successful open plan environment. The project described in this paper aimed to find an objective...... parameter that correlates well with the perceived degree of speech privacy and to derive a clear method for evaluating the acoustic conditions in open plan offices. Acoustic measurements were carried out in an open plan office, followed by data analysis at the Acoustic Department, DTU. A computer model...

The Large Office Environment - Measurement and Modeling of the Wideband Radio Channel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Jørgen Bach; Nielsen, Jesper Ødum; Bauch, Gerhard

2006-01-01

In a future 4G or WLAN wideband application we can imagine multiple users in a large office environment con-sisting of a single room with partitions. Up to now, indoor radio channel measurement and modelling has mainly concentrated on scenarios with several office rooms and corridors. We present...... here measurements at 5.8GHz for 100 MHz bandwidth and a novel modelling approach for the wideband radio channel in a large office room envi-ronment. An acoustic like reverberation theory is pro-posed that allows to specify a tapped delay line model just from the room dimensions and an average...... calculated from the measurements. The pro-posed model can likely also be applied to indoor hot spot scenarios....

PREDICTION OF AEROSOL HAZARDS ARISING FROM THE OPENING OF AN ANTHRAX-TAINTED LETTER IN AN OPEN OFFICE ENVIRONMENT USING COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

FUE-SANG LIEN

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Early experimental work, conducted at Defence R&D Canada–Suffield, measured and characterized the personal and environmental contamination associated with simulated anthrax-tainted letters under a number of different scenarios in order to obtain a better understanding of the physical and biological processes for detecting, assessing, and formulating potential mitigation strategies for managing the risks associated with opening an anthrax-tainted letter. These experimental investigations have been extended in the present study to simulate numerically the contamination from the opening of anthrax-tainted letters in an open office environment using computational fluid dynamics (CFD. A quantity of 0.1 g of Bacillus atropheus (formerly referred to as Bacillus subtilis var globigii (BG spores in dry powder form, which was used here as a surrogate species for Bacillus anthracis (anthrax, was released from an opened letter in the experiment. The accuracy of the model for prediction of the spatial distribution of BG spores in the office from the opened letter is assessed qualitatively (and to the extent possible, quantitatively by detailed comparison with measured BG concentrations obtained under a number of different scenarios, some involving people moving within the office. The observed discrepancy between the numerical predictions and experimental measurements of concentration was probably the result of a number of physical processes which were not accounted for in the numerical simulation. These include air flow leakage from cracks and crevices of the building shell; the dispersion of BG spores in the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC system; and, the effect of deposition and re-suspension of BG spores from various surfaces in the office environment.

Work environment perceptions following relocation to open-plan offices: A twelve-month longitudinal study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergström, Jessica; Miller, Michael; Horneij, Eva

2015-01-01

A workplace's design can have various positive or negative effects on the employees and since the 1970s the advantages and disadvantages of open-plan offices have been discussed. The aim of this study was to investigate perceived health, work environment and self-estimated productivity one month before and at three, six and twelve months after relocation from individual offices to an open-plan office environment. Employees from three departments within the same company group and who worked with relatively similar tasks and who were planned to be relocated from private offices to open-plan offices were invited to participate. Questionnaires comprising items from The Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale, The Work Experience Measurement Scale, the questionnaire by Brennan et al. about perceived performance and one question from the Work Ability Index were sent to participants one month before relocation (baseline) to open-plan offices and then at three, six and twelve months after relocation. At baseline, 82 questionnaires were sent out. The response rate was 85%. At the follow-ups 77-79 questionnaires were sent out and the response-rate was 70%-81%. At follow-ups, perceived health, job satisfaction and performance had generally deteriorated. The results of the study indicate that employees' perception of health, work environment and performance decreased during a 12 month period following relocation from individual offices to open-plan offices.

Weightless environment simulation test; Mujuryo simulation shiken

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kobayashi, K.; Yamamoto, T.; Kato, F. [Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Kobe (Japan)

1997-07-20

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., delivered a Weightless Environment Test System (WETS) to National Space Development Agency of Japan in 1994. This system creates a weightless environment similar to that in space by balancing gravity and buoyancy in the water, and is constituted of a large water tank, facilities to supply air and cooling water to space suits worn in the water, etc. In this report, a weightless environment simulation test and the facilities to supply air and cooling water are described. In the weightless environment simulation test, the astronaut to undergo tests and training wears a space suit quite similar to the suit worn on the orbit, and performs EVA/IVA (extravehicular activities/intravehicular activities) around a JEM (Japanese Experimental Module) mockup installed in the water verifying JEM design specifications, preparing manuals for operations on the orbit, or receives basic space-related drill and training. An EVA weightless environment simulation test No. 3 was accomplished with success in January, 1997, when the supply of breathing water and cooling water to the space suit, etc., were carried out with safety and reliability. 2 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.

Exploring the Environment/Energy Pareto Optimal Front of an Office Room Using Computational Fluid Dynamics-Based Interactive Optimization Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kangji Li

2017-02-01

Full Text Available This paper is concerned with the development of a high-resolution and control-friendly optimization framework in enclosed environments that helps improve thermal comfort, indoor air quality (IAQ, and energy costs of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC system simultaneously. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD-based optimization method which couples algorithms implemented in Matlab with CFD simulation is proposed. The key part of this method is a data interactive mechanism which efficiently passes parameters between CFD simulations and optimization functions. A two-person office room is modeled for the numerical optimization. The multi-objective evolutionary algorithm—non-dominated-and-crowding Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II—is realized to explore the environment/energy Pareto front of the enclosed space. Performance analysis will demonstrate the effectiveness of the presented optimization method.

Occupant satisfaction with the acoustical environment : green office buildings before and after treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hodgson, M. [British Columbia Univ., Vancouver, BC (Canada). School of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, Acoustics and Noise Research Group

2009-07-01

Sustainable architecture is meant to preserve the environment and conserve natural resources, as well as provide an environment for the occupants that promotes wellbeing and productivity. Occupants generally claim that the acoustical environment is the least satisfactory aspect of green office buildings. They are dissatisfied with excessive noise and poor speech privacy. This paper reported on the results of 2 studies of the acoustical environments in green office buildings before and after acoustical-control measures were installed. Acoustical quality was evaluated by occupant-satisfaction surveys and acoustical-parameter measurements. The first study, which involved 6 green office buildings, showed that buildings designed to obtain LEED ratings are unlikely to have satisfactory acoustical environments. A naturally-ventilated, green university building with a poor acoustical environment was examined in the second study. The results of this study suggest that improving acoustical environments in green buildings requires good acoustical design, with input from an acoustical specialist from the beginning of the design process. The design should consider site selection and building orientation; external envelope and penetrations in it; building layout and internal partitions; HVAC systems; appropriate dimensioning of spaces; and the amount and location of sound absorbing treatments. The study also showed that a building's energy efficiency, lighting, ventilation, air-quality and acoustics are interconnected, and that no aspect can be successfully designed in isolation. It was concluded that optimized engineering-control measures can improve poor acoustical environments. 11 refs., 1 tab., 1 fig.

Cognitive test performance following exposure to noise in an open-office simulation study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Søren Peter; Kristiansen, Jesper; Persson, Roger

each simulated workday, the participants performed different tests, including Choice Reaction Time (CRT) test, Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) test, and a Two-Back Task (TBT) test. Results: Working in noise did not affect the number of correct trials in the cognitive test after work. Yet......Objective: Noise in open-plan offices may increase mental fatigue of the employees at the end of the day. Measurements: 225 employees completed a screening questionnaire. Of these, 50 persons (33 females) who normally worked in open-plan offices agreed to participate in the experiment. All who...... participated completed two counter balanced experimental sessions, one with exposure to simulation of office noise (Leq=55 dB(A)) and one without noise (Leq=50 dB(A)). To simulate a workday, each session lasted about 7 hours, where the participants engaged in different computerised work tasks. Before and after...

An Intelligent System for Document Retrieval in Distributed Office Environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukhopadhyay, Uttam; And Others

1986-01-01

MINDS (Multiple Intelligent Node Document Servers) is a distributed system of knowledge-based query engines for efficiently retrieving multimedia documents in an office environment of distributed workstations. By learning document distribution patterns and user interests and preferences during system usage, it customizes document retrievals for…

Numerical simulation of ventilation air movement in partitioned offices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Plett, E.G.; Soultogiannis, A.A.; Jouini, D.B. (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada))

1993-01-01

Good air quality can only be assured throughout an office complex if each workspace receives an adequate supply of ventilation air. The likelihood of achieving this situation would be increased if the building engineer had a means of easily predicting the air movement in each office configuration. A simple computer-based solution to this need is proposed. To this end, the development and validation testing of a numerical solution technique to simulate the ventilation air movement in a room or office is described. The predictions of the two-dimensional, isothermal, inviscid formulation are seen to be in good agreement with experimentally measured airflows in configurations of interest. The computer code is then used to illustrate the airflow in offices served by a single row of supply air diffusers, when partitions are used to divide the space into smaller workspaces. It is observed that the partitions distort the airflow patterns to the extent that it would be difficult to provide desirable ventilation airflows to all the workspaces formed by the partitions. (au) (26 refs.)

New indoor environment chambers and field experiment offices for research on human comfort, health and productivity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Toftum, Jørn; Langkilde, Gunnar; Fanger, Povl Ole

2004-01-01

The article describes three new indoor environment chambers, a new laboratory for the study of air movement in spaces and five offices for controlled environment exposures of human subjects in field experiments at the International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy, Technical University of...... of Denmark. Together with three older chambers, the Centre now has at its disposal 12 spaces for studying indoor environments and their impact on human comfort, health and productivity.......The article describes three new indoor environment chambers, a new laboratory for the study of air movement in spaces and five offices for controlled environment exposures of human subjects in field experiments at the International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy, Technical University...

Virtual environments simulation in research reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Muhamad, Shalina Bt. Sheik; Bahrin, Muhammad Hannan Bin

2017-01-01

Virtual reality based simulations are interactive and engaging. It has the useful potential in improving safety training. Virtual reality technology can be used to train workers who are unfamiliar with the physical layout of an area. In this study, a simulation program based on the virtual environment at research reactor was developed. The platform used for virtual simulation is 3DVia software for which it's rendering capabilities, physics for movement and collision and interactive navigation features have been taken advantage of. A real research reactor was virtually modelled and simulated with the model of avatars adopted to simulate walking. Collision detection algorithms were developed for various parts of the 3D building and avatars to restrain the avatars to certain regions of the virtual environment. A user can control the avatar to move around inside the virtual environment. Thus, this work can assist in the training of personnel, as in evaluating the radiological safety of the research reactor facility.

The use of in-situ simulation to improve safety in the plastic surgery office: a feasibility study.

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, Fred E; Pawlowski, John B; Rosenberg, Noah M; Liu, Xiaoxia; Feinstein, David M; Urman, Richard D

2014-01-01

Simulation-based interventions and education can potentially contribute to safer and more effective systems of care. We utilized in-situ simulation to highlight safety issues, regulatory requirements, and assess perceptions of safety processes by the plastic surgery office staff. A high-fidelity human patient simulator was brought to an office-based plastic surgery setting to enact a half-day full-scale, multidisciplinary medical emergency. Facilitated group debriefings were conducted after each scenario with special consideration of the principles of team training, communication, crisis management, and adherence to evidence-based protocols and regulatory standards. Abbreviated AHRQ Medical Office Safety Culture Survey was completed by the participants before and after the session. The in-situ simulations had a high degree of acceptance and face validity according to the participants. Areas highlighted by the simulation sessions included rapid communication, delegation of tasks, location of emergency materials, scope of practice, and logistics of transport. The participant survey indicated greater awareness of patient safety issues following participation in simulation and debriefing exercises in 3 areas (P issue (100% vs 75%), openness to ideas about improving office processes (100% vs 88%), and the need to discuss ways to prevent errors from recurring (88% vs 62%). Issues of safety and regulatory compliance can be assessed in an office-based setting through the short-term (half-day) use of in-situ simulation with facilitated debriefing and the review of audiovisual recordings by trained facilities inspectors.

Local bureaucrats as bricoleurs. The everyday implementation practices of county environment officers in rural Kenya

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mikkel Funder

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Bricolage in natural resource governance takes place through the interplay of a variety of actors. This article explores the practices of a group whose agency as bricoleurs has received little attention, namely the government officers who represent the state in the everyday management of water, land, forests and other resources across rural Africa. Specifically we examine how local Environment Officers in Taita Taveta County in Kenya go about implementing the national environmental law on the ground, and how they interact with communities in this process. As representatives of “the local state”, the Environment Officers occupy an ambiguous position in which they are expected to implement lofty laws and policies with limited means and in a complex local reality. In response to this they employ three key practices, namely (i working through personal networks, (ii tailoring informal agreements, and (iii delegating public functions and authority to civil society. As a result, the environmental law is to a large extent implemented through a blend of formal and informal rules and governance arrangements, produced through the interplay of the Environment Officers, communities and other local actors.

Low-energy office buildings using existing technology. Simulations with low internal heat gains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flodberg, Kajsa; Blomsterberg, Aake; Dubois, Marie-Claude [Lund Univ. (Sweden). Div. of Energy and Building Design

2012-11-01

Although low-energy and nearly zero-energy residential houses have been built in Sweden in the past decade, there are very few examples of low-energy office buildings. This paper investigates the design features affecting energy use in office buildings and suggests the optimal low-energy design from a Swedish perspective. Dynamic simulations have been carried out with IDA ICE 4 on a typical narrow office building with perimeter cell rooms. The results from the parametric study reveal that the most important design features for energy saving are demand-controlled ventilation as well as limited glazing on the facade. Further energy-saving features are efficient lighting and office equipment which strongly reduce user-related electricity and cooling energy. Together, the simulation results suggest that about 48% energy can be saved compared to a new office building built according to the Swedish building code. Thus, it is possible, using a combination of simple and well-known building technologies and configurations, to have very low energy use in new office buildings. If renewable energy sources, such as solar energy and wind power, are added, there is a potential for the annual energy production to exceed the annual energy consumption and a net zero-energy building can be reached. One aspect of the results concerns user-related electricity, which becomes a major energy post in very low-energy offices and which is rarely regulated in building codes today. This results not only in high electricity use, but also in large internal heat gains and unnecessary high cooling loads given the high latitude and cold climate. (orig.)

Task exposures in an office environment: a comparison of methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Eerd, Dwayne; Hogg-Johnson, Sheilah; Mazumder, Anjali; Cole, Donald; Wells, Richard; Moore, Anne

2009-10-01

Task-related factors such as frequency and duration are associated with musculoskeletal disorders in office settings. The primary objective was to compare various task recording methods as measures of exposure in an office workplace. A total of 41 workers from different jobs were recruited from a large urban newspaper (71% female, mean age 41 years SD 9.6). Questionnaire, task diaries, direct observation and video methods were used to record tasks. A common set of task codes was used across methods. Different estimates of task duration, number of tasks and task transitions arose from the different methods. Self-report methods did not consistently result in longer task duration estimates. Methodological issues could explain some of the differences in estimates seen between methods observed. It was concluded that different task recording methods result in different estimates of exposure likely due to different exposure constructs. This work addresses issues of exposure measurement in office environments. It is of relevance to ergonomists/researchers interested in how to best assess the risk of injury among office workers. The paper discusses the trade-offs between precision, accuracy and burden in the collection of computer task-based exposure measures and different underlying constructs captures in each method.

Too hot to carry on? Disinclination to persist at a task in a warm office environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Syndicus, Marc; Wiese, Bettina S; van Treeck, Christoph

2018-04-01

We investigated the effect of an elevated ambient temperature on performance in a persistence task. The task involved the coding of incorrect symbols and participants were free to decide how long to spend performing this task. Applying a between-subject design, we tested 125 students in an office-like environment in one of the three temperature conditions. The comfort condition (Predicted Mean Vote [PMV] = 0.01) featured an average air temperature of 24 °C. The elevated ambient temperature condition was 28 °C (PMV = 1.17). Condition three employed an airstream of approximately 0.8 m/s, intended to compensate for performance decrements at the elevated air temperature (28 °C, PMV = 0.13), according to Fanger's thermal comfort equation. Participants in the warm condition were significantly less persistent compared with participants in the control and compensation conditions. As predicted by the thermal comfort equation, the airstream seemed to compensate for the higher temperature. Participants' persistence in the compensation and comfort conditions did not differ. Practitioner Summary: A laboratory experiment involving a simulated office environment and three ambient temperature conditions (24 °C, 28 °C and 28 °C plus airstream) showed that persistence at a task is significantly impaired at 28 °C. An airstream of 0.8 m/s at 28 °C compensated for the disinclination to persist with the task.

Generic Simulator Environment for Realistic Simulation - Autonomous Entity Proof and Emotion in Decision Making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mickaël Camus

2004-10-01

Full Text Available Simulation is usually used as an evaluation and testing system. Many sectors are concerned such as EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY or the EUROPEAN DEFENCE. It is important to make sure that the project is error-free in order to continue it. The difficulty is to develop a realistic environment for the simulation and the execution of a scenario. This paper presents PALOMA, a Generic Simulator Environment. This project is based essantially on the Chaos Theory and Complex Systems to create and direct an environment for a simulation. An important point is the generic aspect. PALOMA will be able to create an environment for different sectors (Aero-space, Biology, Mathematic, .... PALOMA includes six components : the Simulation Engine, the Direction Module, the Environment Generator, the Natural Behavior Restriction, the Communication API and the User API. Three languages are used to develop this simulator. SCHEME for the Direction language, C/C++ for the development of modules and OZ/MOZART for the heart of PALOMA.

Thermal environment and air quality in office with personalized ventilation combined with chilled ceiling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lipczynska, Aleksandra; Kaczmarczyk, Jan; Melikov, Arsen Krikor

2015-01-01

The thermal environment and air quality conditions provided with combined system of chilled ceiling and personalized ventilation (PV) were studied in a simulated office room for two occupants. The proposed system was compared with total volume HVAC solutions used today, namely mixing ventilation...... and chilled ceiling combined with mixing ventilation. The objective of the study was to evaluate whether PV can be the only ventilation system in the rooms equipped with chilled ceiling. The room air temperature was 26°C in cases with traditional systems and 28°C when PV was used. PV supplied air...... with the temperature of 25°C. PV improved thermal conditions and was up to nearly 10 times more efficient in delivering clean air at workstations than mixing ventilation systems, which resulted in strong protection of occupants from the cross-infection. In the room space outside workstations no substantial differences...

CAPS Simulation Environment Development

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Douglas G.; Hoffman, James A.

2005-01-01

The final design for an effective Comet/Asteroid Protection System (CAPS) will likely come after a number of competing designs have been simulated and evaluated. Because of the large number of design parameters involved in a system capable of detecting an object, accurately determining its orbit, and diverting the impact threat, a comprehensive simulation environment will be an extremely valuable tool for the CAPS designers. A successful simulation/design tool will aid the user in identifying the critical parameters in the system and eventually allow for automatic optimization of the design once the relationships of the key parameters are understood. A CAPS configuration will consist of space-based detectors whose purpose is to scan the celestial sphere in search of objects likely to make a close approach to Earth and to determine with the greatest possible accuracy the orbits of those objects. Other components of a CAPS configuration may include systems for modifying the orbits of approaching objects, either for the purpose of preventing a collision or for positioning the object into an orbit where it can be studied or used as a mineral resource. The Synergistic Engineering Environment (SEE) is a space-systems design, evaluation, and visualization software tool being leveraged to simulate these aspects of the CAPS study. The long-term goal of the SEE is to provide capabilities to allow the user to build and compare various CAPS designs by running end-to-end simulations that encompass the scanning phase, the orbit determination phase, and the orbit modification phase of a given scenario. Herein, a brief description of the expected simulation phases is provided, the current status and available features of the SEE software system is reported, and examples are shown of how the system is used to build and evaluate a CAPS detection design. Conclusions and the roadmap for future development of the SEE are also presented.

Electromagnetic Environments Simulator (EMES)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varnado, G.B.

1975-11-01

A multipurpose electromagnetic environments simulator has been designed to provide a capability for performing EMR, EMP, and lightning near stroke testing of systems, subsystems and components in a single facility. This report describes the final facility design and presents the analytical and experimental verification of the design

An intelligent dynamic simulation environment: An object-oriented approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, J.T.; Kisner, R.A.

1988-01-01

This paper presents a prototype simulation environment for nuclear power plants which illustrates the application of object-oriented programming to process simulation. Systems are modeled using this technique as a collection of objects which communicate via message passing. The environment allows users to build simulation models by selecting iconic representations of plant components from a menu and connecting them with the aid of a mouse. Models can be modified graphically at any time, even as the simulation is running, and the results observed immediately via real-time graphics. This prototype illustrates the use of object-oriented programming to create a highly interactive and automated simulation environment. 9 refs., 4 figs

An intelligent simulation environment for control system design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, J.T.

1989-01-01

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is currently assisting in the development of advanced control systems for the next generation of nuclear power plants. This paper presents a prototype interactive and intelligent simulation environment being developed to support this effort. The environment combines tools from the field of Artificial Intelligence; in particular object-oriented programming, a LISP programming environment, and a direct manipulation user interface; with traditional numerical methods for simulating combined continuous/discrete processes. The resulting environment is highly interactive and easy to use. Models may be created and modified quickly through a window oriented direct manipulation interface. Models may be modified at any time, even as the simulation is running, and the results observed immediately via real-time graphics. 8 refs., 3 figs

Accelerating Project and Process Improvement using Advanced Software Simulation Technology: From the Office to the Enterprise

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-29

Technology: From the Office Larry Smith Software Technology Support Center to the Enterprise 517 SMXS/MXDEA 6022 Fir Avenue Hill AFB, UT 84056 801...2010 to 00-00-2010 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Accelerating Project and Process Improvement using Advanced Software Simulation Technology: From the Office to

An Empirical Path-Loss Model for Wireless Channels in Indoor Short-Range Office Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ye Wang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available A novel empirical path-loss model for wireless indoor short-range office environment at 4.3–7.3 GHz band is presented. The model is developed based on the experimental datum sampled in 30 office rooms in both line of sight (LOS and non-LOS (NLOS scenarios. The model is characterized as the path loss to distance with a Gaussian random variable X due to the shadow fading by using linear regression. The path-loss exponent n is fitted by the frequency using power function and modeled as a frequency-dependent Gaussian variable as the standard deviation σ of X. The presented works should be available for the research of wireless channel characteristics under universal indoor short-distance environments in the Internet of Things (IOT.

Calculation and simulation of atmospheric refraction effects in maritime environments

Science.gov (United States)

Dion, Denis, Jr.; Gardenal, Lionel; Lahaie, P.; Forand, J. Luc

2001-01-01

Near the sea surface, atmospheric refraction and turbulence affect both IR transmission and image quality. This produces an impact on both the detection and classification/identification of targets. With the financial participation of the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR), Canada's Defence Research Establishment Valcartier (DREV) is developing PRIME (Propagation Resources In the Maritime Environment), a computer model aimed at describing the overall atmospheric effects on IR imagery systems in the marine surface layer. PRIME can be used as a complement to MODTRAN to compute the effective transmittance in the marine surface layer, taking into account the lens effects caused by refraction. It also provides information on image degradation caused by both refraction and turbulence. This paper reviews the refraction phenomena that take place in the surface layer and discusses their effects on target detection and identification. We then show how PRIME can benefit detection studies and image degradation simulations.

A simulation and training environment for robotic radiosurgery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schlaefer, Alexander [University of Luebeck, Institute for Robotics and Cognitive Systems, Luebeck (Germany); Stanford University, Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford, CA (United States); Gill, Jakub; Schweikard, Achim [University of Luebeck, Institute for Robotics and Cognitive Systems, Luebeck (Germany)

2008-09-15

To provide a software environment for simulation of robotic radiosurgery, particularly to study the effective robot workspace with respect to the treatment plan quality, and to illustrate the concepts of robotic radiosurgery. A simulation environment for a robotic radiosurgery system was developed using Java and Java3D. The kinematics and the beam characteristics were modeled and linked to a treatment planning module. Simulations of different robot workspace parameters for two example radiosurgical patient cases were performed using the novel software tool. The first case was an intracranial lesion near the left inner ear, the second case was a spinal lesion. The planning parameters for both cases were visualized with the novel simulation environment. An incremental extension of the robot workspace had limited effect for the intracranial case, where the original workspace already covered the left side of the patient. For the spinal case, a larger workspace resulted in a noticeable improvement in plan quality and a large portion of the beams being delivered from the extended workspace. The new software environment is useful to simulate and analyze parameters and configurations for robotic radiosurgery. An enlarged robot workspace may result in improved plan quality depending on the location of the target region. (orig.)

A simulation and training environment for robotic radiosurgery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlaefer, Alexander; Gill, Jakub; Schweikard, Achim

2008-01-01

To provide a software environment for simulation of robotic radiosurgery, particularly to study the effective robot workspace with respect to the treatment plan quality, and to illustrate the concepts of robotic radiosurgery. A simulation environment for a robotic radiosurgery system was developed using Java and Java3D. The kinematics and the beam characteristics were modeled and linked to a treatment planning module. Simulations of different robot workspace parameters for two example radiosurgical patient cases were performed using the novel software tool. The first case was an intracranial lesion near the left inner ear, the second case was a spinal lesion. The planning parameters for both cases were visualized with the novel simulation environment. An incremental extension of the robot workspace had limited effect for the intracranial case, where the original workspace already covered the left side of the patient. For the spinal case, a larger workspace resulted in a noticeable improvement in plan quality and a large portion of the beams being delivered from the extended workspace. The new software environment is useful to simulate and analyze parameters and configurations for robotic radiosurgery. An enlarged robot workspace may result in improved plan quality depending on the location of the target region. (orig.)

The thermal environment and occupant perceptions in European office buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stoops, J L [Chalmers Univ. of Tech., Goeteborg (Sweden). Dept. of Building Services Engineering

2002-02-01

The results from a large field study of thermal comfort in European office buildings are reported. Environmental conditions and occupant perceptions were collected over fourteen months from twenty-six different office buildings located in France, Greece, Portugal, Sweden and the UK. This thesis focuses on the thermal measurements and occupant perceptions; however, some of the additional variables with strong connections to thermal sensation are also examined. A summary of human comfort is presented to help place this thesis in appropriate context. The summary presents thermal comfort issues within a broad framework of environmental comfort including physical, physiological, behavioural, psychological and other variables. A more narrowly focused overview of current thermal comfort research is also included. The work attempts to show relationships and produce useful information from the data set by using rather simple statistics and graphical methods. The objective is to quite literally use the data set to illustrate the actual thermal conditions in European office buildings and the occupant perceptions of those conditions. The data are examined in some detail with key relationships identified and explored. Significant differences between countries, both for the physical conditions and the perceptions of those conditions are identified. In addition, the variation over the course of the year for each country is explored. The variations occur in complex ways, which make simple, all encompassing explanations impossible. The nature and size of the variations make the application of simple Europe wide models of thermal comfort questionable. It appears that individuals in different European countries have different expectations for their indoor office thermal environment. This data set will be further explored in a more complete study, which will examine the other measured variables.

A Simulated Learning Environment for Teaching Medicine Dispensing Skills.

Science.gov (United States)

McDowell, Jenny; Styles, Kim; Sewell, Keith; Trinder, Peta; Marriott, Jennifer; Maher, Sheryl; Naidu, Som

2016-02-25

To develop an authentic simulation of the professional practice dispensary context for students to develop their dispensing skills in a risk-free environment. A development team used an Agile software development method to create MyDispense, a web-based simulation. Modeled on virtual learning environments elements, the software employed widely available standards-based technologies to create a virtual community pharmacy environment. Assessment. First-year pharmacy students who used the software in their tutorials, were, at the end of the second semester, surveyed on their prior dispensing experience and their perceptions of MyDispense as a tool to learn dispensing skills. The dispensary simulation is an effective tool for helping students develop dispensing competency and knowledge in a safe environment.

Thermal Conditions in a Simulated Office Environment with Convective and Radiant Cooling Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mustakallio, Panu; Bolashikov, Zhecho Dimitrov; Kostov, Kalin

2013-01-01

velocity and turbulent intensity were measured and draft rate levels calculated in the room. Manikin-based equivalent temperature (MBET) was determined by two thermal manikins to identify the impact of the local thermal conditions generated by the studied systems on occupants’ thermal comfort. The results......The thermal conditions in a two person office room were measured with four air conditioning systems: chilled beam (CB), chilled beam with radiant panel (CBR), chilled ceiling with ceiling installed mixing ventilation (CCMV) and four desk partition mounted local radiant cooling panels with mixing...

Effects of the office environment on health and productivity 1: Auditory and visual distraction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Korte, E. de; Kuijt-Evers, L.; Vink, P.

2007-01-01

A pilot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of visual or auditory distraction in an office environment on productivity, concentration and emotion. Ten subjects performed a simple, standardized computer task in five conditions (undisturbed, 3 variations of auditory distraction and visual

Simulation of temperature in office with building integrated heating and cooling system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weitzmann, Peter

2002-01-01

In this paper a numerical investigation of the thermal indoor environment has been performed for an office with building integrated hydronic heating and cooling system. Today office buildings are designed in such a way, and have such high internal heat loads and solar gains, that some kind...... of cooling is normally necessary for most of the year. Even in as cool climates as in the Nordic countries. The way the cooling is often achieved is through air conditioning. This can in many cases lead to sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms, and furthermore it results in high energy consumption periods...... the temperature of the concrete to a level slightly below the desired room temperature, the concrete will work as an absorber for the excess heat in the office. This can significantly reduce the need for air conditioning, which will give both improved indoor climate and lower energy costs in the building...

Virtual Environments for Advanced Trainers and Simulators

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jense, G.J.; Kuijper, F.

1993-01-01

Virtual environment technology is expected to make a big impact on future training and simulation systems. Direct stimulation of human senses (eyesight, auditory, tactile) and new paradigms for user input will improve the realism of simulations and thereby the effectiveness of training systems.

A Collaborative Extensible User Environment for Simulation and Knowledge Management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freedman, Vicky L.; Lansing, Carina S.; Porter, Ellen A.; Schuchardt, Karen L.; Guillen, Zoe C.; Sivaramakrishnan, Chandrika; Gorton, Ian

2015-06-01

In scientific simulation, scientists use measured data to create numerical models, execute simulations and analyze results from advanced simulators executing on high performance computing platforms. This process usually requires a team of scientists collaborating on data collection, model creation and analysis, and on authorship of publications and data. This paper shows that scientific teams can benefit from a user environment called Akuna that permits subsurface scientists in disparate locations to collaborate on numerical modeling and analysis projects. The Akuna user environment is built on the Velo framework that provides both a rich client environment for conducting and analyzing simulations and a Web environment for data sharing and annotation. Akuna is an extensible toolset that integrates with Velo, and is designed to support any type of simulator. This is achieved through data-driven user interface generation, use of a customizable knowledge management platform, and an extensible framework for simulation execution, monitoring and analysis. This paper describes how the customized Velo content management system and the Akuna toolset are used to integrate and enhance an effective collaborative research and application environment. The extensible architecture of Akuna is also described and demonstrates its usage for creation and execution of a 3D subsurface simulation.

Improved training of house officers in a rheumatology consult service.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazzuca, S A; Brandt, K D; Katz, B P

1993-06-01

This study examined whether the clinical environment could be used to increase internal medicine house officers' adoption of care recommendations taught in a didactic conference. Subjects were 11 internal medicine house officers who served 6-week rheumatology elective rotations. At the start of each of four rotation periods, house officers attended a 1-hour conference in which periarticular rheumatic disorders associated with knee pain (anserine bursitis, pseudothrombophlebitis) and shoulder pain (bicipital tendinitis) were discussed. All house officers also practiced physical examination techniques on anatomic models simulating the disorders. During alternate rotation periods, reminder sheets were appended to the records of arthritis patients with histories of chronic knee or shoulder pain. The frequency with which house officers followed conference recommendations was documented by direct observation (6 house officers in 17 encounters with reminders, 5 house officers in 30 encounters without reminders). Specific questioning about a recent history of knee or shoulder pain and the performance of four of five recommended physical examination maneuvers were increased significantly by reminder sheets in patients' charts (P < 0.05 for all). Although rheumatology faculty often have limited options available to increase the number of house officer trainees or to intensify clinical activity, qualitative improvements within existing logistic parameters are feasible by assuring that the clinical environment (e.g., patient records) contains salient cues that will prompt desired actions.

Perceived Indoor Environment and Occupants' Comfort in European "Modern" Office Buildings: The OFFICAIR Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakellaris, Ioannis A; Saraga, Dikaia E; Mandin, Corinne; Roda, Célina; Fossati, Serena; de Kluizenaar, Yvonne; Carrer, Paolo; Dimitroulopoulou, Sani; Mihucz, Victor G; Szigeti, Tamás; Hänninen, Otto; de Oliveira Fernandes, Eduardo; Bartzis, John G; Bluyssen, Philomena M

2016-04-25

Indoor environmental conditions (thermal, noise, light, and indoor air quality) may affect workers' comfort, and consequently their health and well-being, as well as their productivity. This study aimed to assess the relations between perceived indoor environment and occupants' comfort, and to examine the modifying effects of both personal and building characteristics. Within the framework of the European project OFFICAIR, a questionnaire survey was administered to 7441 workers in 167 "modern" office buildings in eight European countries (Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain). Occupants assessed indoor environmental quality (IEQ) using both crude IEQ items (satisfaction with thermal comfort, noise, light, and indoor air quality), and detailed items related to indoor environmental parameters (e.g., too hot/cold temperature, humid/dry air, noise inside/outside, natural/artificial light, odor) of their office environment. Ordinal logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relations between perceived IEQ and occupants' comfort. The highest association with occupants' overall comfort was found for "noise", followed by "air quality", "light" and "thermal" satisfaction. Analysis of detailed parameters revealed that "noise inside the buildings" was highly associated with occupants' overall comfort. "Layout of the offices" was the next parameter highly associated with overall comfort. The relations between IEQ and comfort differed by personal characteristics (gender, age, and the Effort Reward Imbalance index), and building characteristics (office type and building's location). Workplace design should take into account both occupant and the building characteristics in order to provide healthier and more comfortable conditions to their occupants.

Status Report of Simulated Space Radiation Environment Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Phil Hyun; Nho, Young Chang; Jeun, Joon Pyo; Choi, Jae Hak; Lim, Youn Mook; Jung, Chan Hee; Jeon, Young Kyu

2007-11-15

The technology for performance testing and improvement of materials which are durable at space environment is a military related technology and veiled and securely regulated in advanced countries such as US and Russia. This core technology cannot be easily transferred to other country too. Therefore, this technology is the most fundamental and necessary research area for the successful establishment of space environment system. Since the task for evaluating the effects of space materials and components by space radiation plays important role in satellite lifetime extension and running failure percentage decrease, it is necessary to establish simulated space radiation facility and systematic testing procedure. This report has dealt with the status of the technology to enable the simulation of space environment effects, including the effect of space radiation on space materials. This information such as the fundamental knowledge of space environment and research status of various countries as to the simulation of space environment effects of space materials will be useful for the research on radiation hardiness of the materials. Furthermore, it will be helpful for developer of space material on deriving a better choice of materials, reducing the design cycle time, and improving safety.

Status Report of Simulated Space Radiation Environment Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Phil Hyun; Nho, Young Chang; Jeun, Joon Pyo; Choi, Jae Hak; Lim, Youn Mook; Jung, Chan Hee; Jeon, Young Kyu

2007-11-01

The technology for performance testing and improvement of materials which are durable at space environment is a military related technology and veiled and securely regulated in advanced countries such as US and Russia. This core technology cannot be easily transferred to other country too. Therefore, this technology is the most fundamental and necessary research area for the successful establishment of space environment system. Since the task for evaluating the effects of space materials and components by space radiation plays important role in satellite lifetime extension and running failure percentage decrease, it is necessary to establish simulated space radiation facility and systematic testing procedure. This report has dealt with the status of the technology to enable the simulation of space environment effects, including the effect of space radiation on space materials. This information such as the fundamental knowledge of space environment and research status of various countries as to the simulation of space environment effects of space materials will be useful for the research on radiation hardiness of the materials. Furthermore, it will be helpful for developer of space material on deriving a better choice of materials, reducing the design cycle time, and improving safety

Detailed simulations of lighting conditions in office rooms lit by daylight and artificial light

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iversen, Anne

In this thesis the effect on the annual artificial lighting demand is investigated by employing detailed simulations of lighting conditions in office rooms lit by daylight and artificial. The simulations of the artificial lighting demand is accomplished through daylight simulations in Radiance....... The detailed simulations includes studies of the resolution of different weather data sets in climate-based daylight modeling. Furthermore, influence of the electrical lighting demand by simulating with dynamic occupancy patterns is studied. Finally the thesis explores the influence of obstructions in an urban...... canyon on the daylight availability within the buildings, and hence on the energy consumption for artificial lights. The results from the thesis demonstrates that the effect on the outcome of the daylight simulations when simulating with typical weather data files for the location of Copenhagen...

Simulation based virtual learning environment in medical genetics counseling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Makransky, Guido; Bonde, Mads T.; Wulff, Julie S. G.

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Simulation based learning environments are designed to improve the quality of medical education by allowing students to interact with patients, diagnostic laboratory procedures, and patient data in a virtual environment. However, few studies have evaluated whether simulation based...... the perceived relevance of medical educational activities. The results suggest that simulations can help future generations of doctors transfer new understanding of disease mechanisms gained in virtual laboratory settings into everyday clinical practice....... learning environments increase students' knowledge, intrinsic motivation, and self-efficacy, and help them generalize from laboratory analyses to clinical practice and health decision-making. METHODS: An entire class of 300 University of Copenhagen first-year undergraduate students, most with a major...

A Web-Based Lean Simulation Game for Office Operations: Training the Other Side of a Lean Enterprise

Science.gov (United States)

Kuriger, Glenn W.; Wan, Huang-da; Mirehei, S. Moussa; Tamma, Saumya; Chen, F. Frank

2010-01-01

This research proposes a Web-based version of a lean office simulation game (WeBLOG). The game is designed to be used to train lean concepts to office and administrative personnel. This group belongs to the frequently forgotten side of a lean enterprise. Over four phases, the game presents the following seven lean tools: one-piece flow,…

A novel natural environment background model for Monte Carlo simulation and its application in the simulation of anticoincidence measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Sangang; Wang, Lei; Cheng, Yi; Tuo, Xianguo; Liu, Mingzhe; Yao, Fuliang; Leng, Fengqing; Cheng, Yuanyuan; Cai, Ting; Zhou, Yan

2016-01-01

This study proposes a novel natural environment background model by modeling brief environment conditions. It uses Geant4 program to simulate decays of "2"3"8U, "2"3"2Th, and "4"0K in soil and obtains compositions of different-energy gamma rays in the natural environment background. The simulated gamma spectrum of the natural environment background agrees well with the experimental spectrum, particularly above 250 keV. The model is used in the simulation of anticoincidence measurement, indicating that the natural environment background can be decreased by approximately 88%, and the Compton attenuation factor is 2.22. The simulation of anticoincidence measurement can improve the minimum detectable activity (MDA) of the detection system. - Highlights: • This study proposes a novel natural environment background model by simulating decays of "2"3"8U, "2"3"2Th, and "4"0K in soil. • The simulated gamma spectrum of the natural environment background agrees well with the experimental spectrum, particularly above 250 keV. • The proposed environment background model is applied to study the properties of anticoincidence detector.

The Future Security Environment: Why the U.S. Army Must Differentiate and Grow Millennial Officer Talent

Science.gov (United States)

2015-09-01

and M. Epstein, “ Millennials and the World of Work: An Organizational and Management Perspective,” Journal of Business and Psychology, Vol. 25, 2010...Why the U.S. Army Must Differentiate and Grow Millennial Officer Talent FOR THIS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS, VISIT US AT http://www.carlisle.army.mil...SUBTITLE The Future Security Environment: Why the U.S. Army Must Differentiate and Grow Millennial Officer Talent 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c

Simulation of energy use, human thermal comfort and office work performance in buildings with moderately drifting operative temperatures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kolarik, Jakub; Toftum, Jørn; Olesen, Bjarne W.

2011-01-01

Annual primary energy use in a central module of an office building consisting of two offices separated with a corridor was estimated by means of dynamic computer simulations. The simulations were conducted for conventional all-air VAV ventilation system and thermo active building system (TABS) s....... The TABS working in a moderate climate kept the predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD) 10%; 1.4% in comparison to 17.5% h/yr. The highest estimated loss of occupants’ productivity related to their thermal sensation hasn’t exceeded 1% in whole year average....

Employees' satisfaction as influenced by acoustic and visual privacy in the open office environment

Science.gov (United States)

Soules, Maureen Jeanette

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between employees' acoustic and visual privacy issues and their perceived satisfaction in their open office work environments while in focus work mode. The study examined the Science Teaching Student Services Building at the University of Minnesota Minneapolis. The building houses instructional classrooms and administrative offices that service UMN students. The Sustainable Post-Occupancy Evaluation Survey was used to collect data on overall privacy conditions, acoustic and visual privacy conditions, and employees' perceived privacy conditions while in their primary workplace. Paired T-tests were used to analyze the relationships between privacy conditions and employees' perceptions of privacy. All hypotheses are supported indicating that the privacy variables are correlated to the employees' perception of satisfaction within the primary workplace. The findings are important because they can be used to inform business leaders, designers, educators and future research in the field of office design.

Simulation Environment Synchronizing Real Equipment for Manufacturing Cell

Science.gov (United States)

Inukai, Toshihiro; Hibino, Hironori; Fukuda, Yoshiro

Recently, manufacturing industries face various problems such as shorter product life cycle, more diversified customer needs. In this situation, it is very important to reduce lead-time of manufacturing system constructions. At the manufacturing system implementation stage, it is important to make and evaluate facility control programs for a manufacturing cell, such as ladder programs for programmable logical controllers (PLCs) rapidly. However, before the manufacturing systems are implemented, methods to evaluate the facility control programs for the equipment while mixing and synchronizing real equipment and virtual factory models on the computers have not been developed. This difficulty is caused by the complexity of the manufacturing system composed of a great variety of equipment, and stopped precise and rapid support of a manufacturing engineering process. In this paper, a manufacturing engineering environment (MEE) to support manufacturing engineering processes using simulation technologies is proposed. MEE consists of a manufacturing cell simulation environment (MCSE) and a distributed simulation environment (DSE). MCSE, which consists of a manufacturing cell simulator and a soft-wiring system, is emphatically proposed in detail. MCSE realizes making and evaluating facility control programs by using virtual factory models on computers before manufacturing systems are implemented.

Full immersion simulation: validation of a distributed simulation environment for technical and non-technical skills training in Urology.

Science.gov (United States)

Brewin, James; Tang, Jessica; Dasgupta, Prokar; Khan, Muhammad S; Ahmed, Kamran; Bello, Fernando; Kneebone, Roger; Jaye, Peter

2015-07-01

To evaluate the face, content and construct validity of the distributed simulation (DS) environment for technical and non-technical skills training in endourology. To evaluate the educational impact of DS for urology training. DS offers a portable, low-cost simulated operating room environment that can be set up in any open space. A prospective mixed methods design using established validation methodology was conducted in this simulated environment with 10 experienced and 10 trainee urologists. All participants performed a simulated prostate resection in the DS environment. Outcome measures included surveys to evaluate the DS, as well as comparative analyses of experienced and trainee urologist's performance using real-time and 'blinded' video analysis and validated performance metrics. Non-parametric statistical methods were used to compare differences between groups. The DS environment demonstrated face, content and construct validity for both non-technical and technical skills. Kirkpatrick level 1 evidence for the educational impact of the DS environment was shown. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of simulated operating room training on real operating room performance. This study has shown the validity of the DS environment for non-technical, as well as technical skills training. DS-based simulation appears to be a valuable addition to traditional classroom-based simulation training. © 2014 The Authors BJU International © 2014 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Fatigue cracking of alloy 600 in simulated steam generator crevice environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogundele, G.; Lepik, O.

1998-01-01

Investigations were carried out to generate fatigue life (S-N) and near-threshold fatigue crack propagation (da/dN) data to determine the environmental influence on fatigue behavior for Alloy 600 in air, deionized water and in simulated Bruce Nuclear Generating Station 'A' crevice environments under appropriate loading conditions. In the low cycle fatigue regime, the simulated crevice environment did not affect the fatigue life of Alloy 600 under the applied loading conditions. The near-threshold fatigue crack growth rates of Alloy 600 in the simulated crevice environment were significantly lower compared to either pure water or air environments and is believed to be the result of higher crack closure in the crevice environment. (author)

Experiences with a simulated learning environment - the SimuScape©: Virtual environments in medical education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna-Lena Thies

2014-03-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Simulation as a tool for medical education has gained considerable importance in the past years. Various studies have shown that the mastering of basic skills happens best if taught in a realistic and workplace-based context. It is necessary that simulation itself takes place in the realistic background of a genuine clinical or in an accordingly simulated learning environment. METHODS: A panoramic projection system that allows the simulation of different scenarios has been created at the medical school of the Westphalian Wilhelms-University  Muenster/Germany. The SimuScape© is a circular training room of six meters in diameter and has the capacity to generate pictures or moving images as well as the corresponding background noises for medical students, who are then able to interact with simulated patients inside a realistic environment. RESULTS: About 1,000 students have been instructed using the SimuScape© in the courses of emergency medicine, family medicine and anesthesia. The SimuScape©, with its 270°-panoramic projection, gives the students the impression “of being right in the center of action”.  It is a flexible learning environment that can be easily integrated into curricular teaching and which is in full operation for 10 days per semester. CONCLUSION: The SimuScape© allows the establishment of new medical areas outside the hospital and surgery for simulation and it is an extremely adaptable and cost-effective utilization of a lecture room. In this simulated environment it is possible to teach objectives like self-protection and patient care during disturbing environmental influences in practice.

Applying virtual environments to training and simulation (abstract)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jense, G.J.; Kuijper, F.

1993-01-01

Virtual environment (VE) technology is expected to make a big impact on future training and simulation systems. Direct stimulation of human-senses (eyesight, auditory, tactile) and new paradigms for user input will improve the realism of simulations and thereby the effectiveness of training systems.

WinGraphics: An optimized windowing environment for interactive real-time simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verboncoeur, J.P.; Vahedi, V.

1989-01-01

We have developed a customized windowing environment, Win Graphics, which provides particle simulation codes with an interactive user interface. The environment supports real-time animation of the simulation, displaying multiple diagnostics as they evolve in time. In addition, keyboard and printer (PostScript and dot matrix) support is provided. This paper describes this environment

Lithium-ion Battery Electrothermal Model, Parameter Estimation, and Simulation Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simone Orcioni

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The market for lithium-ion batteries is growing exponentially. The performance of battery cells is growing due to improving production technology, but market request is growing even more rapidly. Modeling and characterization of single cells and an efficient simulation environment is fundamental for the development of an efficient battery management system. The present work is devoted to defining a novel lumped electrothermal circuit of a single battery cell, the extraction procedure of the parameters of the single cell from experiments, and a simulation environment in SystemC-WMS for the simulation of a battery pack. The electrothermal model of the cell was validated against experimental measurements obtained in a climatic chamber. The model is then used to simulate a 48-cell battery, allowing statistical variations among parameters. The different behaviors of the cells in terms of state of charge, current, voltage, or heat flow rate can be observed in the results of the simulation environment.

A novel natural environment background model for Monte Carlo simulation and its application in the simulation of anticoincidence measurement.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Sangang; Wang, Lei; Cheng, Yi; Tuo, Xianguo; Liu, Mingzhe; Yao, Fuliang; Leng, Fengqing; Cheng, Yuanyuan; Cai, Ting; Zhou, Yan

2016-02-01

This study proposes a novel natural environment background model by modeling brief environment conditions. It uses Geant4 program to simulate decays of (238)U, (232)Th, and (40)K in soil and obtains compositions of different-energy gamma rays in the natural environment background. The simulated gamma spectrum of the natural environment background agrees well with the experimental spectrum, particularly above 250 keV. The model is used in the simulation of anticoincidence measurement, indicating that the natural environment background can be decreased by approximately 88%, and the Compton attenuation factor is 2.22. The simulation of anticoincidence measurement can improve the minimum detectable activity (MDA) of the detection system. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Risk for environment-induced diseases due to air pollution from motor vehicles in road-patrol officers].

Science.gov (United States)

Mikhaĭlichenko, K Iu; Kas'ianenko, A A; Shchelkunova, I G; Grechko, A V

2010-01-01

The paper describes risk factors for environment-induced diseases in road-patrol (RP) officers under the existing working conditions: noise and chemical ambient air pollution from motor vehicles. There is evidence for a significant increase in the incidence of diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous system, sense organs, digestive and endocrine metabolic systems in the State Road Safety Inspectorate officers who are directly engaged in traffic management. Potential and real risks from motor transport to the health of RP roads have been estimated. Recommendations on optimizing the working conditions are given.

Using IMPRINT to Guide Experimental Design with Simulated Task Environments

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-18

USING IMPRINT TO GUIDE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN OF SIMULATED TASK ENVIRONMENTS THESIS Gregory...ENG-MS-15-J-052 USING IMPRINT TO GUIDE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN WITH SIMULATED TASK ENVIRONMENTS THESIS Presented to the Faculty Department...Civilian, USAF June 2015 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED. AFIT-ENG-MS-15-J-052 USING IMPRINT

40 CFR 1600.6 - Office location.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Office location. 1600.6 Section 1600.6 Protection of Environment CHEMICAL SAFETY AND HAZARD INVESTIGATION BOARD ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONS OF THE CHEMICAL SAFETY AND HAZARD INVESTIGATION BOARD § 1600.6 Office location. The principal offices of the...

Office Computers: Ergonomic Considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Ganus, Susannah

1984-01-01

Each new report of the office automation market indicates technology is overrunning the office. The impacts of this technology are described and some ways to manage and physically "soften" the change to a computer-based office environment are suggested. (Author/MLW)

Environments for online maritime simulators with cloud computing capabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Raicu, Gabriel; Raicu, Alexandra

2016-12-01

This paper presents the cloud computing environments, network principles and methods for graphical development in realistic naval simulation, naval robotics and virtual interactions. The aim of this approach is to achieve a good simulation quality in large networked environments using open source solutions designed for educational purposes. Realistic rendering of maritime environments requires near real-time frameworks with enhanced computing capabilities during distance interactions. E-Navigation concepts coupled with the last achievements in virtual and augmented reality will enhance the overall experience leading to new developments and innovations. We have to deal with a multiprocessing situation using advanced technologies and distributed applications using remote ship scenario and automation of ship operations.

A virtual environment for simulation of radiological accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, Tadeu Augusto de Almeida; Farias, Oscar Luiz Monteiro de

2013-01-01

A virtual environment is a computer environment, representative of a subset of the real world, and where models of the real world entities, process and events are included in a virtual (three-dimensional) space. Virtual environments are ideal tools for simulation of certain critical processes, such as radiological accidents, where human beings or properties can suffer irreversible or long term damages. Radiological accidents are characterized by the significant exposure to radiation of specialized workers and general public. The early detection of a radiological accident and the determination of its possible extension are essential factors for the planning of prompt answers and emergency actions. This paper proposes the integration of georeferenced representation of the three-dimensional space and agent-based models, with the objective to construct virtual environments that have the capacity to simulate radiological accidents. The three-dimensional georeferenced representations of space candidates are: 1) the spatial representation of traditional geographical information systems (GIS); 2) the representation adopted by Google Maps®. Adding agents to these spatial representations allow us to simulate radiological accidents, quantify the doses received by members of the public, obtain a possible spatial distribution of people contaminated, estimate the number of contaminated individuals, estimate the impact on the health-network, estimate environmental impacts, generate exclusion zones, build alternative scenarios and train staff to deal with radiological accidents. (author)

A virtual environment for simulation of radiological accidents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, Tadeu Augusto de Almeida, E-mail: tedsilva@ird.gov.br [Instituto de Radioprotecao e Dosimetria (IRD/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Farias, Oscar Luiz Monteiro de, E-mail: fariasol@eng.uerj.br [Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2013-07-01

A virtual environment is a computer environment, representative of a subset of the real world, and where models of the real world entities, process and events are included in a virtual (three-dimensional) space. Virtual environments are ideal tools for simulation of certain critical processes, such as radiological accidents, where human beings or properties can suffer irreversible or long term damages. Radiological accidents are characterized by the significant exposure to radiation of specialized workers and general public. The early detection of a radiological accident and the determination of its possible extension are essential factors for the planning of prompt answers and emergency actions. This paper proposes the integration of georeferenced representation of the three-dimensional space and agent-based models, with the objective to construct virtual environments that have the capacity to simulate radiological accidents. The three-dimensional georeferenced representations of space candidates are: 1) the spatial representation of traditional geographical information systems (GIS); 2) the representation adopted by Google Maps®. Adding agents to these spatial representations allow us to simulate radiological accidents, quantify the doses received by members of the public, obtain a possible spatial distribution of people contaminated, estimate the number of contaminated individuals, estimate the impact on the health-network, estimate environmental impacts, generate exclusion zones, build alternative scenarios and train staff to deal with radiological accidents. (author)

Remote online ergonomic assessment in the office environment as compared to face-to-face ergonomic assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Eyal, Levy; Ribak, Joseph; Badihi, Yehuda

2012-01-01

remote online ergonomic assessment in the office environment as compared to face-to-face ergonomic assessment and examination of the applicability of remote online ergonomic assessment to office workers. 40 employees from a large Israeli hi-tech company were ergonomically assessed per the University of California computer usage checklist, according to the two assessment types (face-to-face and remote). An additional Ergonomist "assessor 2" examined the credibility of the process. Research hypothesis 1 was verified: 21 out of 22 questions (95.45%) from the checklist indicated compatibility between "assessor 1" to the "Gold Standard" at an 80% level. Research hypothesis 2: examining the credibility between the assessors with regard to remote assessment. This hypothesis was partially verified, the correlation between the assessors was measured at 0.54. Research hypothesis 3: examining the extent of deviation of natural posture between distal body parts assessment (distant from the center of the body) and proximal body parts (close to the center of the body). This hypothesis was clearly verified. It has been proven that there is statistical significance between the results. The current research has proved that there is an additional method to assess musculoskeletal disorders risk factors remotely online at office environment.

A Virtual Simulation Environment for Lunar Rover: Framework and Key Technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan-chun Yang

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Lunar rover development involves a large amount of validation works in realistic operational conditions, including its mechanical subsystem and on-board software. Real tests require equipped rover platform and a realistic terrain. It is very time consuming and high cost. To improve the development efficiency, a rover simulation environment called RSVE that affords real time capabilities with high fidelity has been developed. It uses fractional Brown motion (fBm technique and statistical properties to generate lunar surface. Thus, various terrain models for simulation can be generated through changing several parameters. To simulate lunar rover evolving on natural and unstructured surface with high realism, the whole dynamics of the multi-body systems and complex interactions with soft ground is integrated in this environment. An example for path planning algorithm and controlling algorithm testing in this environment is tested. This simulation environment runs on PC or Silicon Graphics.

A Virtual Simulation Environment for Lunar Rover: Framework and Key Technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan-chun Yang

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Lunar rover development involves a large amount of validation works in realistic operational conditions, including its mechanical subsystem and on-board software. Real tests require equipped rover platform and a realistic terrain. It is very time consuming and high cost. To improve the development efficiency, a rover simulation environment called RSVE that affords real time capabilities with high fidelity has been developed. It uses fractional Brown motion (fBm technique and statistical properties to generate lunar surface. Thus, various terrain models for simulation can be generated through changing several parameters. To simulate lunar rover evolving on natural and unstructured surface with high realism, the whole dynamics of the multi-body systems and complex interactions with soft ground is integrated in this environment. An example for path planning algorithm and controlling algorithm testing in this environment is tested. This simulation environment runs on PC or Silicon Graphics.

Integrated Simulation Environment for Unmanned Autonomous Systems—Towards a Conceptual Framework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. G. Perhinschi

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The paper initiates a comprehensive conceptual framework for an integrated simulation environment for unmanned autonomous systems (UAS that is capable of supporting the design, analysis, testing, and evaluation from a “system of systems” perspective. The paper also investigates the current state of the art of modeling and performance assessment of UAS and their components and identifies directions for future developments. All the components of a comprehensive simulation environment focused on the testing and evaluation of UAS are identified and defined through detailed analysis of current and future required capabilities and performance. The generality and completeness of the simulation environment is ensured by including all operational domains, types of agents, external systems, missions, and interactions between components. The conceptual framework for the simulation environment is formulated with flexibility, modularity, generality, and portability as key objectives. The development of the conceptual framework for the UAS simulation reveals important aspects related to the mechanisms and interactions that determine specific UAS characteristics including complexity, adaptability, synergy, and high impact of artificial and human intelligence on system performance and effectiveness.

A numerical study on the effects of exhaust locations on energy consumption and thermal environment in an office room served by displacement ventilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, Ahmed Qasim; Gao, Shian; Kareem, Ali Khaleel

2016-01-01

Highlights: • An advanced CFD program was developed and validated successfully. • The relation between the exhaust positions and heat sources was analysed. • Energy saving, thermal comfort and inhaled air quality were studied for 5 cases. • By combining the exhaust with office lamps, a 25% of energy saving was achieved. - Abstract: In an office room, many factors affect the pattern of airflow, thermal comfort, indoor air quality and energy saving. In this study, the effects of the location of exhaust diffusers where the warm and contaminant air is extracted and their relation to room heat sources on thermal comfort and energy saving were investigated numerically for an office served by a displacement ventilation system. The indoor air quality in the breathing level and the inhaled zone were also evaluated. The contaminants were released from window and door frames in order to simulate the contaminants coming from outside. The amount of energy consumption and the indoor thermal environment for various exhaust locations were investigated numerically using the computational fluid dynamics techniques. The results showed that the thermal indoor environment, thermal comfort, quality of indoor air and energy saving were greatly improved by combining the exhaust outlets with some of the room’s heat sources such as ceiling lamps and external walls. In particular, a 25.0% of energy saving was achieved by combining the exhaust diffuser with room’s ceiling lamps. In addition, locating the exhaust diffuser near the heat sources also reduced the cooling coil load by 13.8%. The risk of a large difference in temperature between the head and foot levels, increased particle concentration in the occupied zone, as well as increased energy consumption was also clearly demonstrated when the exhaust and recirculated air outlet (return opening) were combined in one unit in the occupied boundary area that is located at 2 m away from the occupants. Thus, for the optimum energy

Simulating The Dynamical Evolution Of Galaxies In Group And Cluster Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Vijayaraghavan, Rukmani

2015-07-01

Galaxy clusters are harsh environments for their constituent galaxies. A variety of physical processes effective in these dense environments transform gas-rich, spiral, star-forming galaxies to elliptical or spheroidal galaxies with very little gas and therefore minimal star formation. The consequences of these processes are well understood observationally. Galaxies in progressively denser environments have systematically declining star formation rates and gas content. However, a theoretical understanding of of where, when, and how these processes act, and the interplay between the various galaxy transformation mechanisms in clusters remains elusive. In this dissertation, I use numerical simulations of cluster mergers as well as galaxies evolving in quiescent environments to develop a theoretical framework to understand some of the physics of galaxy transformation in cluster environments. Galaxies can be transformed in smaller groups before they are accreted by their eventual massive cluster environments, an effect termed `pre-processing'. Galaxy cluster mergers themselves can accelerate many galaxy transformation mechanisms, including tidal and ram pressure stripping of galaxies and galaxy-galaxy collisions and mergers that result in reassemblies of galaxies' stars and gas. Observationally, cluster mergers have distinct velocity and phase-space signatures depending on the observer's line of sight with respect to the merger direction. Using dark matter only as well as hydrodynamic simulations of cluster mergers with random ensembles of particles tagged with galaxy models, I quantify the effects of cluster mergers on galaxy evolution before, during, and after the mergers. Based on my theoretical predictions of the dynamical signatures of these mergers in combination with galaxy transformation signatures, one can observationally identify remnants of mergers and quantify the effect of the environment on galaxies in dense group and cluster environments. The presence of

A comparison of the accuracy of intraoral scanners using an intraoral environment simulator.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Hye-Nan; Lim, Young-Jun; Yi, Won-Jin; Han, Jung-Suk; Lee, Seung-Pyo

2018-02-01

The aim of this study was to design an intraoral environment simulator and to assess the accuracy of two intraoral scanners using the simulator. A box-shaped intraoral environment simulator was designed to simulate two specific intraoral environments. The cast was scanned 10 times by Identica Blue (MEDIT, Seoul, South Korea), TRIOS (3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark), and CS3500 (Carestream Dental, Georgia, USA) scanners in the two simulated groups. The distances between the left and right canines (D3), first molars (D6), second molars (D7), and the left canine and left second molar (D37) were measured. The distance data were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis test. The differences in intraoral environments were not statistically significant ( P >.05). Between intraoral scanners, statistically significant differences ( P Kruskal-Wallis test with regard to D3 and D6. No difference due to the intraoral environment was revealed. The simulator will contribute to the higher accuracy of intraoral scanners in the future.

Simulation Study of Performance of Active Ceilings with Phase Change Material in Office Buildings under Extreme Climate Conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stefansen, Casper; Farhan, Hajan; Bourdakis, Eleftherios

2018-01-01

simulations were run with a building simulation software for eight climates. The chosen climates were Dubai –UAE, Istanbul – Turkey, Lima – Peru, Moscow – Russia, Nuuk – Greenland, Salvador – Brazil, Tokyo – Japan and Tromsø – Norway. Two models of a two-person office were made for each climate; one model...

Simulation Based Acquisition for NASA's Office of Exploration Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Hale, Joe

2004-01-01

In January 2004, President George W. Bush unveiled his vision for NASA to advance U.S. scientific, security, and economic interests through a robust space exploration program. This vision includes the goal to extend human presence across the solar system, starting with a human return to the Moon no later than 2020, in preparation for human exploration of Mars and other destinations. In response to this vision, NASA has created the Office of Exploration Systems (OExS) to develop the innovative technologies, knowledge, and infrastructures to explore and support decisions about human exploration destinations, including the development of a new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). Within the OExS organization, NASA is implementing Simulation Based Acquisition (SBA), a robust Modeling & Simulation (M&S) environment integrated across all acquisition phases and programs/teams, to make the realization of the President s vision more certain. Executed properly, SBA will foster better informed, timelier, and more defensible decisions throughout the acquisition life cycle. By doing so, SBA will improve the quality of NASA systems and speed their development, at less cost and risk than would otherwise be the case. SBA is a comprehensive, Enterprise-wide endeavor that necessitates an evolved culture, a revised spiral acquisition process, and an infrastructure of advanced Information Technology (IT) capabilities. SBA encompasses all project phases (from requirements analysis and concept formulation through design, manufacture, training, and operations), professional disciplines, and activities that can benefit from employing SBA capabilities. SBA capabilities include: developing and assessing system concepts and designs; planning manufacturing, assembly, transport, and launch; training crews, maintainers, launch personnel, and controllers; planning and monitoring missions; responding to emergencies by evaluating effects and exploring solutions; and communicating across the OEx

SPEEDES - A multiple-synchronization environment for parallel discrete-event simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Steinman, Jeff S.

1992-01-01

Synchronous Parallel Environment for Emulation and Discrete-Event Simulation (SPEEDES) is a unified parallel simulation environment. It supports multiple-synchronization protocols without requiring users to recompile their code. When a SPEEDES simulation runs on one node, all the extra parallel overhead is removed automatically at run time. When the same executable runs in parallel, the user preselects the synchronization algorithm from a list of options. SPEEDES currently runs on UNIX networks and on the California Institute of Technology/Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mark III Hypercube. SPEEDES also supports interactive simulations. Featured in the SPEEDES environment is a new parallel synchronization approach called Breathing Time Buckets. This algorithm uses some of the conservative techniques found in Time Bucket synchronization, along with the optimism that characterizes the Time Warp approach. A mathematical model derived from first principles predicts the performance of Breathing Time Buckets. Along with the Breathing Time Buckets algorithm, this paper discusses the rules for processing events in SPEEDES, describes the implementation of various other synchronization protocols supported by SPEEDES, describes some new ones for the future, discusses interactive simulations, and then gives some performance results.

The effects of moderate heat stress and open-plan office noise distraction on office work

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Witterseh, Thomas; Wyon, David; Clausen, Geo

2002-01-01

Thirty subjects clothed for comfort at 22 deg.C performed simulated office work for 3 hours at 22/26/30 deg.C (7.4 g/kg dry air, i.e. 45/35/28 %RH) in quiet and recorded open-plan office noise (55 dBA) conditions. Warmth decreased perceived air quality (P......Thirty subjects clothed for comfort at 22 deg.C performed simulated office work for 3 hours at 22/26/30 deg.C (7.4 g/kg dry air, i.e. 45/35/28 %RH) in quiet and recorded open-plan office noise (55 dBA) conditions. Warmth decreased perceived air quality (P...

Effect of police mobile computer terminal interface design on officer driving distraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Zahabi, Maryam; Kaber, David

2018-02-01

Several crash reports have identified in-vehicle distraction to be a primary cause of emergency vehicle crashes especially in law enforcement. Furthermore, studies have found that mobile computer terminals (MCTs) are the most frequently used in-vehicle technology for police officers. Twenty police officers participated in a driving simulator-based assessment of visual behavior, performance, workload and situation awareness with current and enhanced MCT interface designs. In general, results revealed MCT use while driving to decrease officer visual attention to the roadway, but usability improvements can reduce the level of visual distraction and secondary-task completion time. Results also suggest that use of MCTs while driving significantly reduces perceived level of driving environment awareness for police officers and increases cognitive workload. These findings may be useful for MCT manufacturers in improving interface designs to increase police officer and civilian safety. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A novel approach to simulate gene-environment interactions in complex diseases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicodemi Mario

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Complex diseases are multifactorial traits caused by both genetic and environmental factors. They represent the major part of human diseases and include those with largest prevalence and mortality (cancer, heart disease, obesity, etc.. Despite a large amount of information that has been collected about both genetic and environmental risk factors, there are few examples of studies on their interactions in epidemiological literature. One reason can be the incomplete knowledge of the power of statistical methods designed to search for risk factors and their interactions in these data sets. An improvement in this direction would lead to a better understanding and description of gene-environment interactions. To this aim, a possible strategy is to challenge the different statistical methods against data sets where the underlying phenomenon is completely known and fully controllable, for example simulated ones. Results We present a mathematical approach that models gene-environment interactions. By this method it is possible to generate simulated populations having gene-environment interactions of any form, involving any number of genetic and environmental factors and also allowing non-linear interactions as epistasis. In particular, we implemented a simple version of this model in a Gene-Environment iNteraction Simulator (GENS, a tool designed to simulate case-control data sets where a one gene-one environment interaction influences the disease risk. The main aim has been to allow the input of population characteristics by using standard epidemiological measures and to implement constraints to make the simulator behaviour biologically meaningful. Conclusions By the multi-logistic model implemented in GENS it is possible to simulate case-control samples of complex disease where gene-environment interactions influence the disease risk. The user has full control of the main characteristics of the simulated population and a Monte

Sick building syndrome (SBS) among office workers in a Malaysian university--Associations with atopy, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and the office environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Fang-Lee; Hashim, Zailina; Md Said, Salmiah; Than, Leslie Thian-Lung; Hashim, Jamal Hisham; Norbäck, Dan

2015-12-01

There are few studies on sick building syndrome (SBS) including clinical measurements for atopy and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO). Our aim was to study associations between SBS symptoms, selected personal factors, office characteristics and indoor office exposures among office workers from a university in Malaysia. Health data were collected by a questionnaire (n=695), skin prick test (SPT) (n=463) and FeNO test (n=460). Office settled dust was vacuumed and analyzed for endotoxin, (1,3)-β-glucan and house dust mites (HDM) allergens group 1 namely Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p 1) and Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f 1). Office indoor temperature, relative air humidity (RH), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) were measured by a direct reading instrument. Associations were studied by two-levels multiple logistic regression with mutual adjustment and stratified analysis. The prevalence of weekly dermal, mucosal and general symptoms was 11.9%, 16.0% and 23.0% respectively. A combination of SPT positivity (allergy to HDM or cat) and high FeNO level (≥25 ppb) was associated with dermal (p=0.002), mucosal (p<0.001) and general symptoms (p=0.05). Der f1 level in dust was associated with dermal (p<0.001), mucosal (p<0.001) and general (p=0.02) symptoms. Among those with allergy to D. farinae, associations were found between Der f 1 levels in dust and dermal (p=0.003), mucosal (p=0.001) and general symptoms (p=0.007). Office-related symptoms were associated with Der f 1 levels in dust (p=0.02), low relative air humidity (p=0.04) and high office temperature (p=0.05). In conclusion, a combination of allergy to cat or HDM and high FeNO is a risk factor for SBS symptoms. Der f 1 allergen in dust can be a risk factor for SBS in the office environment, particularly among those sensitized to Der f 1 allergen. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

IMPETUS - Interactive MultiPhysics Environment for Unified Simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Ha, Vi Q; Lykotrafitis, George

2016-12-08

We introduce IMPETUS - Interactive MultiPhysics Environment for Unified Simulations, an object oriented, easy-to-use, high performance, C++ program for three-dimensional simulations of complex physical systems that can benefit a large variety of research areas, especially in cell mechanics. The program implements cross-communication between locally interacting particles and continuum models residing in the same physical space while a network facilitates long-range particle interactions. Message Passing Interface is used for inter-processor communication for all simulations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Construction material processed using lunar simulant in various environments

Science.gov (United States)

Chase, Stan; Ocallaghan-Hay, Bridget; Housman, Ralph; Kindig, Michael; King, John; Montegrande, Kevin; Norris, Raymond; Vanscotter, Ryan; Willenborg, Jonathan; Staubs, Harry

1995-01-01

The manufacture of construction materials from locally available resources in space is an important first step in the establishment of lunar and planetary bases. The objective of the CoMPULSIVE (Construction Material Processed Using Lunar Simulant In Various Environments) experiment is to develop a procedure to produce construction materials by sintering or melting Johnson Space Center Simulant 1 (JSC-1) lunar soil simulant in both earth-based (1-g) and microgravity (approximately 0-g) environments. The characteristics of the resultant materials will be tested to determine its physical and mechanical properties. The physical characteristics include: crystalline, thermal, and electrical properties. The mechanical properties include: compressive tensile, and flexural strengths. The simulant, placed in a sealed graphite crucible, will be heated using a high temperature furnace. The crucible will then be cooled by radiative and forced convective means. The core furnace element consists of space qualified quartz-halogen incandescent lamps with focusing mirrors. Sample temperatures of up to 2200 C are attainable using this heating method.

The Learning Impact of a 4-Dimensional Digital Construction Learning Environment

OpenAIRE

Chris Landorf; Stephen Ward

2017-01-01

This paper addresses a virtual environment approach to work integrated learning for students in construction-related disciplines. The virtual approach provides a safe and pedagogically rigorous environment where students can apply theoretical knowledge in a simulated real-world context. The paper describes the development of a 4-dimensional digital construction environment and associated learning activities funded by the Australian Office for Learning and Teaching. The environment was trialle...

Perceived Indoor Environment and Occupants’ Comfort in European “Modern” Office Buildings: The OFFICAIR Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ioannis A. Sakellaris

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Indoor environmental conditions (thermal, noise, light, and indoor air quality may affect workers’ comfort, and consequently their health and well-being, as well as their productivity. This study aimed to assess the relations between perceived indoor environment and occupants’ comfort, and to examine the modifying effects of both personal and building characteristics. Within the framework of the European project OFFICAIR, a questionnaire survey was administered to 7441 workers in 167 “modern” office buildings in eight European countries (Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. Occupants assessed indoor environmental quality (IEQ using both crude IEQ items (satisfaction with thermal comfort, noise, light, and indoor air quality, and detailed items related to indoor environmental parameters (e.g., too hot/cold temperature, humid/dry air, noise inside/outside, natural/artificial light, odor of their office environment. Ordinal logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relations between perceived IEQ and occupants’ comfort. The highest association with occupants’ overall comfort was found for “noise”, followed by “air quality”, “light” and “thermal” satisfaction. Analysis of detailed parameters revealed that “noise inside the buildings” was highly associated with occupants’ overall comfort. “Layout of the offices” was the next parameter highly associated with overall comfort. The relations between IEQ and comfort differed by personal characteristics (gender, age, and the Effort Reward Imbalance index, and building characteristics (office type and building’s location. Workplace design should take into account both occupant and the building characteristics in order to provide healthier and more comfortable conditions to their occupants.

Perceived Indoor Environment and Occupants’ Comfort in European “Modern” Office Buildings: The OFFICAIR Study

Science.gov (United States)

Sakellaris, Ioannis A.; Saraga, Dikaia E.; Mandin, Corinne; Roda, Célina; Fossati, Serena; de Kluizenaar, Yvonne; Carrer, Paolo; Dimitroulopoulou, Sani; Mihucz, Victor G.; Szigeti, Tamás; Hänninen, Otto; de Oliveira Fernandes, Eduardo; Bartzis, John G.; Bluyssen, Philomena M.

2016-01-01

Indoor environmental conditions (thermal, noise, light, and indoor air quality) may affect workers’ comfort, and consequently their health and well-being, as well as their productivity. This study aimed to assess the relations between perceived indoor environment and occupants’ comfort, and to examine the modifying effects of both personal and building characteristics. Within the framework of the European project OFFICAIR, a questionnaire survey was administered to 7441 workers in 167 “modern” office buildings in eight European countries (Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain). Occupants assessed indoor environmental quality (IEQ) using both crude IEQ items (satisfaction with thermal comfort, noise, light, and indoor air quality), and detailed items related to indoor environmental parameters (e.g., too hot/cold temperature, humid/dry air, noise inside/outside, natural/artificial light, odor) of their office environment. Ordinal logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relations between perceived IEQ and occupants’ comfort. The highest association with occupants’ overall comfort was found for “noise”, followed by “air quality”, “light” and “thermal” satisfaction. Analysis of detailed parameters revealed that “noise inside the buildings” was highly associated with occupants’ overall comfort. “Layout of the offices” was the next parameter highly associated with overall comfort. The relations between IEQ and comfort differed by personal characteristics (gender, age, and the Effort Reward Imbalance index), and building characteristics (office type and building’s location). Workplace design should take into account both occupant and the building characteristics in order to provide healthier and more comfortable conditions to their occupants. PMID:27120608

Simulation-based computation of dose to humans in radiological environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Breazeal, N.L.; Davis, K.R.; Watson, R.A.; Vickers, D.S.; Ford, M.S.

1996-03-01

The Radiological Environment Modeling System (REMS) quantifies dose to humans working in radiological environments using the IGRIP (Interactive Graphical Robot Instruction Program) and Deneb/ERGO simulation software. These commercially available products are augmented with custom C code to provide radiation exposure information to, and collect radiation dose information from, workcell simulations. Through the use of any radiation transport code or measured data, a radiation exposure input database may be formulated. User-specified IGRIP simulations utilize these databases to compute and accumulate dose to programmable human models operating around radiation sources. Timing, distances, shielding, and human activity may be modeled accurately in the simulations. The accumulated dose is recorded in output files, and the user is able to process and view this output. The entire REMS capability can be operated from a single graphical user interface

Simulation-based computation of dose to humans in radiological environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Breazeal, N.L. [Sandia National Labs., Livermore, CA (United States); Davis, K.R.; Watson, R.A. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Vickers, D.S. [Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT (United States). Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Ford, M.S. [Battelle Pantex, Amarillo, TX (United States). Dept. of Radiation Safety

1996-03-01

The Radiological Environment Modeling System (REMS) quantifies dose to humans working in radiological environments using the IGRIP (Interactive Graphical Robot Instruction Program) and Deneb/ERGO simulation software. These commercially available products are augmented with custom C code to provide radiation exposure information to, and collect radiation dose information from, workcell simulations. Through the use of any radiation transport code or measured data, a radiation exposure input database may be formulated. User-specified IGRIP simulations utilize these databases to compute and accumulate dose to programmable human models operating around radiation sources. Timing, distances, shielding, and human activity may be modeled accurately in the simulations. The accumulated dose is recorded in output files, and the user is able to process and view this output. The entire REMS capability can be operated from a single graphical user interface.

Comparative study of the effectiveness of three learning environments: Hyper-realistic virtual simulations, traditional schematic simulations and traditional laboratory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Isabel Suero

2011-10-01

Full Text Available This study compared the educational effects of computer simulations developed in a hyper-realistic virtual environment with the educational effects of either traditional schematic simulations or a traditional optics laboratory. The virtual environment was constructed on the basis of Java applets complemented with a photorealistic visual output. This new virtual environment concept, which we call hyper-realistic, transcends basic schematic simulation; it provides the user with a more realistic perception of a physical phenomenon being simulated. We compared the learning achievements of three equivalent, homogeneous groups of undergraduates—an experimental group who used only the hyper-realistic virtual laboratory, a first control group who used a schematic simulation, and a second control group who used the traditional laboratory. The three groups received the same theoretical preparation and carried out equivalent practicals in their respective learning environments. The topic chosen for the experiment was optical aberrations. An analysis of variance applied to the data of the study demonstrated a statistically significant difference (p value <0.05 between the three groups. The learning achievements attained by the group using the hyper-realistic virtual environment were 6.1 percentage points higher than those for the group using the traditional schematic simulations and 9.5 percentage points higher than those for the group using the traditional laboratory.

Conducting Simulation Studies in the R Programming Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Hallgren, Kevin A

2013-10-12

Simulation studies allow researchers to answer specific questions about data analysis, statistical power, and best-practices for obtaining accurate results in empirical research. Despite the benefits that simulation research can provide, many researchers are unfamiliar with available tools for conducting their own simulation studies. The use of simulation studies need not be restricted to researchers with advanced skills in statistics and computer programming, and such methods can be implemented by researchers with a variety of abilities and interests. The present paper provides an introduction to methods used for running simulation studies using the R statistical programming environment and is written for individuals with minimal experience running simulation studies or using R. The paper describes the rationale and benefits of using simulations and introduces R functions relevant for many simulation studies. Three examples illustrate different applications for simulation studies, including (a) the use of simulations to answer a novel question about statistical analysis, (b) the use of simulations to estimate statistical power, and (c) the use of simulations to obtain confidence intervals of parameter estimates through bootstrapping. Results and fully annotated syntax from these examples are provided.

Air quality in a simulated office environment as a result of reducing pollution sources and increasing ventilation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wargocki, Pawel; Bako-Biro, Zsolt; Clausen, Geo

2002-01-01

Air quality was studied in an office space classified as low-polluting and ventilated with outdoor air at a rate of 1 h-1. The pollution load in the space was changed by introducing or removing common building-related indoor pollution sources (linoleum, sealant and wooden shelves with books and p...

Virtual Collaborative Simulation Environment for Integrated Product and Process Development

Science.gov (United States)

Gulli, Michael A.

1997-01-01

Deneb Robotics is a leader in the development of commercially available, leading edge three- dimensional simulation software tools for virtual prototyping,, simulation-based design, manufacturing process simulation, and factory floor simulation and training applications. Deneb has developed and commercially released a preliminary Virtual Collaborative Engineering (VCE) capability for Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD). This capability allows distributed, real-time visualization and evaluation of design concepts, manufacturing processes, and total factory and enterprises in one seamless simulation environment.

Auxiliary office chair

OpenAIRE

Pascual Osés, Maite

2007-01-01

The aim of this project is to develop an auxiliary office chair, which favorably will compete with the existing chairs on the market. Evolutions of ergonomical survey in the work environment and on the configuration of offices require new products which fulfill the requirements properly. In order to achieve it a survey about office chairs has been carried out: types, characteristics, ways of usage and products on the market besides a large antropometrical study and ergonomics related to work ...

Using Office Simulation Software in Teaching Computer Literacy Using Three Sets of Teaching/Learning Activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azad Ali

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The most common course delivery model is based on teacher (knowledge provider - student (knowledge receiver relationship. The most visible symptom of this situation is over-reliance on textbook’s tutorials. This traditional model of delivery reduces teacher flexibility, causes lack of interest among students, and often makes classes boring. Especially this is visible when teaching Computer Literacy courses. Instead, authors of this paper suggest a new active model which is based on MS Office simulation. The proposed model was discussed within the framework of three activities: guided software simulation, instructor-led activities, and self-directed learning activities. The model proposed in the paper of active teaching based on software simulation was proven as more effective than traditional.

Analysis of the effects of simulated synergistic LEO environment on solar panels

Science.gov (United States)

Allegri, G.; Corradi, S.; Marchetti, M.; Scaglione, S.

2007-02-01

The effects due to the LEO environment exposure of a solar array primary structure are here presented and discussed in detail. The synergistic damaging components featuring LEO environment are high vacuum, thermal cycling, neutral gas, ultraviolet (UV) radiation and cold plasma. The synergistic effects due to these environmental elements are simulated by "on ground" tests, performed in the Space Environment Simulator (SAS) at the University of Rome "La Sapienza"; numerical simulations are performed by the Space Environment Information System (SPENVIS), developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). A "safe life" design for a solar array primary structure is developed, taking into consideration the combined damaging action of the LEO environment components; therefore results from both numerical and experimental simulations are coupled within the framework of a standard finite element method (FEM) based design. The expected durability of the solar array primary structure, made of laminated sandwich composite, is evaluated assuming that the loads exerted on the structure itself are essentially dependent on thermo-elastic stresses. The optical degradation of surface materials and the stiffness and strength degradation of structural elements are taken into account to assess the global structural durability of the solar array under characteristic operative conditions in LEO environment.

Conducting Simulation Studies in the R Programming Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kevin A. Hallgren

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Simulation studies allow researchers to answer specific questions about data analysis, statistical power, and best-practices for obtainingaccurate results in empirical research. Despite the benefits that simulation research can provide, many researchers are unfamiliar with available tools for conducting their own simulation studies. The use of simulation studies need not be restricted toresearchers with advanced skills in statistics and computer programming, and such methods can be implemented by researchers with a variety of abilities and interests. The present paper provides an introduction to methods used for running simulationstudies using the R statistical programming environment and is written for individuals with minimal experience running simulation studies or using R. The paper describes the rationale and benefits of using simulations and introduces R functions relevant for many simulation studies. Three examples illustrate different applications for simulation studies, including (a the use of simulations to answer a novel question about statistical analysis, (b the use of simulations to estimate statistical power, and (c the use of simulations to obtain confidence intervals of parameter estimates throughbootstrapping. Results and fully annotated syntax from these examples are provided.

The strategic security officer.

Science.gov (United States)

Hodges, Charles

2014-01-01

This article discusses the concept of the strategic security officer, and the potential that it brings to the healthcare security operational environment. The author believes that training and development, along with strict hiring practices, can enable a security department to reach a new level of professionalism, proficiency and efficiency. The strategic officer for healthcare security is adapted from the "strategic corporal" concept of US Marine Corps General Charles C. Krulak which focuses on understanding the total force implications of the decisions made by the lowest level leaders within the Corps (Krulak, 1999). This article focuses on the strategic organizational implications of every security officer's decisions in the constantly changing and increasingly volatile operational environment of healthcare security.

Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of Three Learning Environments: Hyper-Realistic Virtual Simulations, Traditional Schematic Simulations and Traditional Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez, Guadalupe; Naranjo, Francisco L.; Perez, Angel L.; Suero, Maria Isabel; Pardo, Pedro J.

2011-01-01

This study compared the educational effects of computer simulations developed in a hyper-realistic virtual environment with the educational effects of either traditional schematic simulations or a traditional optics laboratory. The virtual environment was constructed on the basis of Java applets complemented with a photorealistic visual output.…

Energy impact of indoor environmental policy for air-conditioned offices of Hong Kong

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, L.T.; Mui, K.W.; Shi, K.L.

2008-01-01

Air-conditioned office buildings are one of the biggest energy consumers of electricity in developed cities in the subtropical climate regions. A good energy policy for the indoor environment should respond to both the needs of energy conservation and the needs for a desirable indoor healthy environment with a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) generation. This study evaluates energy implications and the corresponding CO 2 generation of some indoor environmental policies for air-conditioned office buildings in the subtropical climate. In particular, the thermal energy consumption in an air-conditioned office building was evaluated by the heat gains through the building fabric, the transport of outdoor fresh air for ventilation, and the heat generated by the occupant and equipment in the space. With the Monte-Carlo sampling technique and the parameters from the existing office building stocks of Hong Kong, the energy consumption profiles of air-conditioned office buildings in Hong Kong were evaluated. Energy consumption profiles were simulated for certain indoor environmental quality (IEQ) policies on indoor air temperature and CO 2 concentration settings in the offices, with other building parameters remaining unchanged. The impact assessment and the regression models described in this study may be useful for evaluation of energy performances of IEQ policies. They will also be useful for the promotion of energy-saving measures in air-conditioned office buildings in Hong Kong. This study presented a useful source of references for policymakers, building professionals and end users to quantify the energy and environmental impacts due to an IEQ policy for air-conditioned office buildings

Reliability Verification of DBE Environment Simulation Test Facility by using Statistics Method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jang, Kyung Nam; Kim, Jong Soeg; Jeong, Sun Chul; Kyung Heum

2011-01-01

In the nuclear power plant, all the safety-related equipment including cables under the harsh environment should perform the equipment qualification (EQ) according to the IEEE std 323. There are three types of qualification methods including type testing, operating experience and analysis. In order to environmentally qualify the safety-related equipment using type testing method, not analysis or operation experience method, the representative sample of equipment, including interfaces, should be subjected to a series of tests. Among these tests, Design Basis Events (DBE) environment simulating test is the most important test. DBE simulation test is performed in DBE simulation test chamber according to the postulated DBE conditions including specified high-energy line break (HELB), loss of coolant accident (LOCA), main steam line break (MSLB) and etc, after thermal and radiation aging. Because most DBE conditions have 100% humidity condition, in order to trace temperature and pressure of DBE condition, high temperature steam should be used. During DBE simulation test, if high temperature steam under high pressure inject to the DBE test chamber, the temperature and pressure in test chamber rapidly increase over the target temperature. Therefore, the temperature and pressure in test chamber continue fluctuating during the DBE simulation test to meet target temperature and pressure. We should ensure fairness and accuracy of test result by confirming the performance of DBE environment simulation test facility. In this paper, in order to verify reliability of DBE environment simulation test facility, statistics method is used

NECTAR: Simulation and Visualization in a 3D Collaborative Environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Law, Y.W.; Chan, K.Y.

For simulation and visualization in a 3D collaborative environment, an architecture called the Nanyang Experimental CollaboraTive ARchitecture (NECTAR) has been developed. The objective is to support multi-user collaboration in a virtual environment with an emphasis on cost-effectiveness and

A High-Fidelity Batch Simulation Environment for Integrated Batch and Piloted Air Combat Simulation Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Goodrich, Kenneth H.; McManus, John W.; Chappell, Alan R.

1992-01-01

A batch air combat simulation environment known as the Tactical Maneuvering Simulator (TMS) is presented. The TMS serves as a tool for developing and evaluating tactical maneuvering logics. The environment can also be used to evaluate the tactical implications of perturbations to aircraft performance or supporting systems. The TMS is capable of simulating air combat between any number of engagement participants, with practical limits imposed by computer memory and processing power. Aircraft are modeled using equations of motion, control laws, aerodynamics and propulsive characteristics equivalent to those used in high-fidelity piloted simulation. Databases representative of a modern high-performance aircraft with and without thrust-vectoring capability are included. To simplify the task of developing and implementing maneuvering logics in the TMS, an outer-loop control system known as the Tactical Autopilot (TA) is implemented in the aircraft simulation model. The TA converts guidance commands issued by computerized maneuvering logics in the form of desired angle-of-attack and wind axis-bank angle into inputs to the inner-loop control augmentation system of the aircraft. This report describes the capabilities and operation of the TMS.

Virtual X-ray imaging techniques in an immersive casting simulation environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Ning; Kim, Sung-Hee; Suh, Ji-Hyun; Cho, Sang-Hyun; Choi, Jung-Gil; Kim, Myoung-Hee

2007-01-01

A computer code was developed to simulate radiograph of complex casting products in a CAVE TM -like environment. The simulation is based on the deterministic algorithms and ray tracing techniques. The aim of this study is to examine CAD/CAE/CAM models at the design stage, to optimize the design and inspect predicted defective regions with fast speed, good accuracy and small numerical expense. The present work discusses the algorithms for the radiography simulation of CAD/CAM model and proposes algorithmic solutions adapted from ray-box intersection algorithm and octree data structure specifically for radiographic simulation of CAE model. The stereoscopic visualization of full-size of product in the immersive casting simulation environment as well as the virtual X-ray images of castings provides an effective tool for design and evaluation of foundry processes by engineers and metallurgists

Classroom Simulation for Trainee Teachers Using 3D Virtual Environments and Simulated Smartbot Student Behaviours

OpenAIRE

Alotaibi, Fahad Mazaed

2014-01-01

his thesis consists of an analysis of a classroom simulation using a Second Life (SL) experiment that aims to investigate the teaching impact on smartbots (virtual students) from trainee teacher avatars with respect to interaction, simulated behaviour, and observed teaching roles. The classroom-based SL experiments’ motivation is to enable the trainee teacher to acquire the necessary skills and experience to manage a real classroom environment through simulations of a real classroom. This ty...

Solar shading for low energy use and daylight quality in offices: Simulations, measurements and design tools

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dubois, M.C.

2001-11-01

This thesis investigates the impact of solar shading devices on energy use and daylight quality in office rooms. The impact on energy use is analysed through computer simulations with the dynamic energy simulation program Derob-LTH while the impact on daylight quality is investigated through measurements in full-scale experimental office rooms and simulations with the program Radiance. This thesis also includes a literature review of research on solar shading as well as design tools to incorporate shading devices at an early stage in the design of buildings. This thesis indicates that, in cold countries, shading devices may provide more annual energy savings than any solar-protective (reflective, tinted) glazing and that the optimum glazing transmittance is orientation- and climate-dependent. For example, high annual energy savings are obtained on the south facade with higher transmittance glazings (compared with the east and west facade) because the potential for passive solar gain utilisation in the winter is high in comparison with the annual cooling demand. Exterior shading devices like awnings and overhangs may reduce the cooling demand dramatically but they are not suitable as daylight (glare) control devices. Devices like screens and venetian blinds are preferable because they cover the entire window area, which prevents sunlight patches in the room and the direct view of the bright sky. Screens and venetian blinds also reduce daylight in the room to levels that are suitable for computer work. However, it is essential that the screen is of a diffusing type since screens with a strong (specular) transmittance component result in poor daylight quality. The study on daylight quality also indicated that a screen transmittance of around 15 % may be optimum for a standard (3.5 by 6.0 m{sup 2}) south-oriented office room with a window covering around 25 % of the facade area (12 % of the floor area)

Open Source Power Plant Simulator Development Under Matlab Environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ratemi, W.M.; Fadilah, S.M.; Abonoor, N

2008-01-01

In this paper an open source programming approach is targeted for the development of power plant simulator under Matlab environment. With this approach many individuals can contribute to the development of the simulator by developing different orders of complexities of the power plant components. Such modules can be modeled based on physical principles, or using neural networks or other methods. All of these modules are categorized in Matlab library, of which the user can select and build up his simulator. Many international companies developed its own authoring tool for the development of its simulators, and hence it became its own property available for high costs. Matlab is a general software developed by mathworks that can be used with its toolkits as the authoring tool for the development of components by different individuals, and through the appropriate coordination, different plant simulators, nuclear, traditional , or even research reactors can be computerly assembled. In this paper, power plant components such as a pressurizer, a reactor, a steam generator, a turbine, a condenser, a feedwater heater, a valve, a pump are modeled based on physical principles. Also a prototype modeling of a reactor ( a scram case) based on neural networks is developed. These modules are inserted in two different Matlab libraries one called physical and the other is called neural. Furthermore, during the simulation one can pause and shuffle the modules selected from the two libraries and then proceed the simulation. Also, under the Matlab environment a PID controller is developed for multi-loop plant which can be integrated for the control of the appropriate developed simulator. This paper is an attempt to base the open source approach for the development of power plant simulators or even research reactor simulators. It then requires the coordination among interested individuals or institutions to set it to professionalism. (author)

Customising Microsoft Office to Develop a Tutorial Learning Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Deacon, Andrew; Jaftha, Jacob; Horwitz, David

2004-01-01

Powerful applications such as Microsoft Office's Excel and Word are widely used to perform common tasks in the workplace and in education. Scripting within these applications allows unanticipated user requirements to be addressed. We show that such extensibility, intended to support office automation-type applications, is well suited to the…

Real-Time and High-Fidelity Simulation Environment for Autonomous Ground Vehicle Dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Cameron, Jonathan; Myint, Steven; Kuo, Calvin; Jain, Abhi; Grip, Havard; Jayakumar, Paramsothy; Overholt, Jim

2013-01-01

This paper reports on a collaborative project between U.S. Army TARDEC and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to develop a unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) simulation model using the ROAMS vehicle modeling framework. Besides modeling the physical suspension of the vehicle, the sensing and navigation of the HMMWV vehicle are simulated. Using models of urban and off-road environments, the HMMWV simulation was tested in several ways, including navigation in an urban environment with obstacle avoidance and the performance of a lane change maneuver.

Virtual environment simulation as a tool to support evacuation planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mol, Antonio C.; Grecco, Claudio H.S.; Santos, Isaac J.A.L.; Carvalho, Paulo V.R.; Jorge, Carlos A.F.; Sales, Douglas S.; Couto, Pedro M.; Botelho, Felipe M.; Bastos, Felipe R.

2007-01-01

This work is a preliminary study of the use of a free game-engine as a tool to build and to navigate in virtual environments, with a good degree of realism, for virtual simulations of evacuation from building and risk zones. To achieve this goal, some adjustments in the game engine have been implemented. A real building with four floors, consisting of some rooms with furniture and people, has been virtually implemented. Simulations of simple different evacuation scenarios have been performed, measuring the total time spent in each case. The measured times have been compared with their corresponding real evacuation times, measured in the real building. The first results have demonstrated that the virtual environment building with the free game engine is capable to reproduce the real situation with a satisfactory level. However, it is important to emphasize that such virtual simulations serve only as an aid in the planning of real evacuation simulations, and as such must never substitute the later. (author)

Empirical Essays on Office Market Dynamics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.G.J. Jennen (Maarten)

2008-01-01

textabstractOffice buildings are a major investment vehicle, provide a working environment for numerous employees across the globe and determine the skyline of major cities. Put differently: office buildings matter. This dissertation consists of six studies and focuses on office buildings from a

Creating a Realistic Weather Environment for Motion-Based Piloted Flight Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Daniels, Taumi S.; Schaffner, Philip R.; Evans, Emory T.; Neece, Robert T.; Young, Steve D.

2012-01-01

A flight simulation environment is being enhanced to facilitate experiments that evaluate research prototypes of advanced onboard weather radar, hazard/integrity monitoring (HIM), and integrated alerting and notification (IAN) concepts in adverse weather conditions. The simulation environment uses weather data based on real weather events to support operational scenarios in a terminal area. A simulated atmospheric environment was realized by using numerical weather data sets. These were produced from the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model hosted and run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). To align with the planned flight simulation experiment requirements, several HRRR data sets were acquired courtesy of NOAA. These data sets coincided with severe weather events at the Memphis International Airport (MEM) in Memphis, TN. In addition, representative flight tracks for approaches and departures at MEM were generated and used to develop and test simulations of (1) what onboard sensors such as the weather radar would observe; (2) what datalinks of weather information would provide; and (3) what atmospheric conditions the aircraft would experience (e.g. turbulence, winds, and icing). The simulation includes a weather radar display that provides weather and turbulence modes, derived from the modeled weather along the flight track. The radar capabilities and the pilots controls simulate current-generation commercial weather radar systems. Appropriate data-linked weather advisories (e.g., SIGMET) were derived from the HRRR weather models and provided to the pilot consistent with NextGen concepts of use for Aeronautical Information Service (AIS) and Meteorological (MET) data link products. The net result of this simulation development was the creation of an environment that supports investigations of new flight deck information systems, methods for incorporation of better weather information, and pilot interface and operational improvements

High-fidelity hybrid simulation of allergic emergencies demonstrates improved preparedness for office emergencies in pediatric allergy clinics.

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy, Joshua L; Jones, Stacie M; Porter, Nicholas; White, Marjorie L; Gephardt, Grace; Hill, Travis; Cantrell, Mary; Nick, Todd G; Melguizo, Maria; Smith, Chris; Boateng, Beatrice A; Perry, Tamara T; Scurlock, Amy M; Thompson, Tonya M

2013-01-01

Simulation models that used high-fidelity mannequins have shown promise in medical education, particularly for cases in which the event is uncommon. Allergy physicians encounter emergencies in their offices, and these can be the source of much trepidation. To determine if case-based simulations with high-fidelity mannequins are effective in teaching and retention of emergency management team skills. Allergy clinics were invited to Arkansas Children's Hospital Pediatric Understanding and Learning through Simulation Education center for a 1-day workshop to evaluate skills concerning the management of allergic emergencies. A Clinical Emergency Preparedness Team Performance Evaluation was developed to evaluate the competence of teams in several areas: leadership and/or role clarity, closed-loop communication, team support, situational awareness, and scenario-specific skills. Four cases, which focus on common allergic emergencies, were simulated by using high-fidelity mannequins and standardized patients. Teams were evaluated by multiple reviewers by using video recording and standardized scoring. Ten to 12 months after initial training, an unannounced in situ case was performed to determine retention of the skills training. Clinics showed significant improvements for role clarity, teamwork, situational awareness, and scenario-specific skills during the 1-day workshop (all P clinics (all P ≤ .004). Clinical Emergency Preparedness Team Performance Evaluation scores demonstrated improved team management skills with simulation training in office emergencies. Significant recall of team emergency management skills was demonstrated months after the initial training. Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Development and Evaluation of a Computer-Simulated Science Inquiry Environment Using Gamified Elements

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Fu-Hsing

2018-01-01

This study developed a computer-simulated science inquiry environment, called the Science Detective Squad, to engage students in investigating an electricity problem that may happen in daily life. The environment combined the simulation of scientific instruments and a virtual environment, including gamified elements, such as points and a story for…

Creating pedestrian crash scenarios in a driving simulator environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Chrysler, Susan T; Ahmad, Omar; Schwarz, Chris W

2015-01-01

In 2012 in the United States, pedestrian injuries accounted for 3.3% of all traffic injuries but, disproportionately, pedestrian fatalities accounted for roughly 14% of traffic-related deaths (NHTSA 2014 ). In many other countries, pedestrians make up more than 50% of those injured and killed in crashes. This research project examined driver response to crash-imminent situations involving pedestrians in a high-fidelity, full-motion driving simulator. This article presents a scenario development method and discusses experimental design and control issues in conducting pedestrian crash research in a simulation environment. Driving simulators offer a safe environment in which to test driver response and offer the advantage of having virtual pedestrian models that move realistically, unlike test track studies, which by nature must use pedestrian dummies on some moving track. An analysis of pedestrian crash trajectories, speeds, roadside features, and pedestrian behavior was used to create 18 unique crash scenarios representative of the most frequent and most costly crash types. For the study reported here, we only considered scenarios where the car is traveling straight because these represent the majority of fatalities. We manipulated driver expectation of a pedestrian both by presenting intersection and mid-block crossing as well as by using features in the scene to direct the driver's visual attention toward or away from the crossing pedestrian. Three visual environments for the scenarios were used to provide a variety of roadside environments and speed: a 20-30 mph residential area, a 55 mph rural undivided highway, and a 40 mph urban area. Many variables of crash situations were considered in selecting and developing the scenarios, including vehicle and pedestrian movements; roadway and roadside features; environmental conditions; and characteristics of the pedestrian, driver, and vehicle. The driving simulator scenarios were subjected to iterative testing to

Generation of large scale urban environments to support advanced sensor and seeker simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Giuliani, Joseph; Hershey, Daniel; McKeown, David, Jr.; Willis, Carla; Van, Tan

2009-05-01

One of the key aspects for the design of a next generation weapon system is the need to operate in cluttered and complex urban environments. Simulation systems rely on accurate representation of these environments and require automated software tools to construct the underlying 3D geometry and associated spectral and material properties that are then formatted for various objective seeker simulation systems. Under an Air Force Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract, we have developed an automated process to generate 3D urban environments with user defined properties. These environments can be composed from a wide variety of source materials, including vector source data, pre-existing 3D models, and digital elevation models, and rapidly organized into a geo-specific visual simulation database. This intermediate representation can be easily inspected in the visible spectrum for content and organization and interactively queried for accuracy. Once the database contains the required contents, it can then be exported into specific synthetic scene generation runtime formats, preserving the relationship between geometry and material properties. To date an exporter for the Irma simulation system developed and maintained by AFRL/Eglin has been created and a second exporter to Real Time Composite Hardbody and Missile Plume (CHAMP) simulation system for real-time use is currently being developed. This process supports significantly more complex target environments than previous approaches to database generation. In this paper we describe the capabilities for content creation for advanced seeker processing algorithms simulation and sensor stimulation, including the overall database compilation process and sample databases produced and exported for the Irma runtime system. We also discuss the addition of object dynamics and viewer dynamics within the visual simulation into the Irma runtime environment.

Associations between the Objectively Measured Office Environment and Workplace Step Count and Sitting Time: Cross-Sectional Analyses from the Active Buildings Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Abi; Ucci, Marcella; Smith, Lee; Sawyer, Alexia; Spinney, Richard; Konstantatou, Marina; Marmot, Alexi

2018-06-01

Office-based workers spend a large proportion of the day sitting and tend to have low overall activity levels. Despite some evidence that features of the external physical environment are associated with physical activity, little is known about the influence of the spatial layout of the internal environment on movement, and the majority of data use self-report. This study investigated associations between objectively-measured sitting time and activity levels and the spatial layout of office floors in a sample of UK office-based workers. Participants wore activPAL accelerometers for at least three consecutive workdays. Primary outcomes were steps and proportion of sitting time per working hour. Primary exposures were office spatial layout, which was objectively-measured by deriving key spatial variables: 'distance from each workstation to key office destinations', 'distance from participant's workstation to all other workstations', 'visibility of co-workers', and workstation 'closeness'. 131 participants from 10 organisations were included. Fifty-four per cent were female, 81% were white, and the majority had a managerial or professional role (72%) in their organisation. The average proportion of the working hour spent sitting was 0.7 (SD 0.15); participants took on average 444 (SD 210) steps per working hour. Models adjusted for confounders revealed significant negative associations between step count and distance from each workstation to all other office destinations (e.g., B = -4.66, 95% CI: -8.12, -1.12, p office destinations (e.g., B = -6.45, 95% CI: -11.88, -0.41, p office destinations the less they walked, suggesting that changing the relative distance between workstations and other destinations on the same floor may not be the most fruitful target for promoting walking and reducing sitting in the workplace. However, reported effect sizes were very small and based on cross-sectional analyses. The approaches developed in this study could be applied to other

MARS: An Educational Environment for Multiagent Robot Simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Casini

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Undergraduate robotics students often find it difficult to design and validate control algorithms for teams of mobile robots. This is mainly due to two reasons. First, very rarely, educational laboratories are equipped with large teams of robots, which are usually expensive, bulky, and difficult to manage and maintain. Second, robotics simulators often require students to spend much time to learn their use and functionalities. For this purpose, a simulator of multiagent mobile robots named MARS has been developed within the Matlab environment, with the aim of helping students to simulate a wide variety of control algorithms in an easy way and without spending time for understanding a new language. Through this facility, the user is able to simulate multirobot teams performing different tasks, from cooperative to competitive ones, by using both centralized and distributed controllers. Virtual sensors are provided to simulate real devices. A graphical user interface allows students to monitor the robots behaviour through an online animation.

Hardware in the loop radar environment simulation on wideband DRFM platforms

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Strydom, JJ

2012-10-01

Full Text Available @csir.co.za, dnaiker@csir.co.za, kolivier@csir.co.za Keywords: DRFM, ECM, Complex Targets, Clutter, HIL, radar environment, simulation. Abstract This paper describes the development and testing of a digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) kernel, as well... as follows: Section 2 describes the design of a high performance DRFM kernel. Section 3 describes the integration of this kernel into a radar environment simulator system. Sections 4, 5 and 6 then present the generation of realistic targets, ECM...

Prediction and evaluation method of wind environment in the early design stage using BIM-based CFD simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sumi; Song, Doosam

2010-01-01

Drastic urbanization and manhattanization are causing various problems in wind environment. This study suggests a CFD simulation method to evaluate wind environment in the early design stage of high-rise buildings. The CFD simulation of this study is not a traditional in-depth simulation, but a method to immediately evaluate wind environment for each design alternative and provide guidelines for design modification. Thus, the CFD simulation of this study to evaluate wind environments uses BIM-based CFD tools to utilize building models in the design stage. This study examined previous criteria to evaluate wind environment for pedestrians around buildings and selected evaluation criteria applicable to the CFD simulation method of this study. Furthermore, proper mesh generation method and CPU time were reviewed to find a meaningful CFD simulation result for determining optimal design alternative from the perspective of wind environment in the design stage. In addition, this study is to suggest a wind environment evaluation method through a BIM-based CFD simulation.

Virtual environment display for a 3D audio room simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Chapin, William L.; Foster, Scott

1992-06-01

Recent developments in virtual 3D audio and synthetic aural environments have produced a complex acoustical room simulation. The acoustical simulation models a room with walls, ceiling, and floor of selected sound reflecting/absorbing characteristics and unlimited independent localizable sound sources. This non-visual acoustic simulation, implemented with 4 audio ConvolvotronsTM by Crystal River Engineering and coupled to the listener with a Poihemus IsotrakTM, tracking the listener's head position and orientation, and stereo headphones returning binaural sound, is quite compelling to most listeners with eyes closed. This immersive effect should be reinforced when properly integrated into a full, multi-sensory virtual environment presentation. This paper discusses the design of an interactive, visual virtual environment, complementing the acoustic model and specified to: 1) allow the listener to freely move about the space, a room of manipulable size, shape, and audio character, while interactively relocating the sound sources; 2) reinforce the listener's feeling of telepresence into the acoustical environment with visual and proprioceptive sensations; 3) enhance the audio with the graphic and interactive components, rather than overwhelm or reduce it; and 4) serve as a research testbed and technology transfer demonstration. The hardware/software design of two demonstration systems, one installed and one portable, are discussed through the development of four iterative configurations. The installed system implements a head-coupled, wide-angle, stereo-optic tracker/viewer and multi-computer simulation control. The portable demonstration system implements a head-mounted wide-angle, stereo-optic display, separate head and pointer electro-magnetic position trackers, a heterogeneous parallel graphics processing system, and object oriented C++ program code.

Simulated Space Environment Effects on a Candidate Solar Sail Material

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Jin Ho; Bryant, Robert G.; Wilkie, W. Keats; Wadsworth, Heather M.; Craven, Paul D.; Nehls, Mary K.; Vaughn, Jason A.

2017-01-01

For long duration missions of solar sails, the sail material needs to survive harsh space environments and the degradation of the sail material controls operational lifetime. Therefore, understanding the effects of the space environment on the sail membrane is essential for mission success. In this study, we investigated the effect of simulated space environment effects of ionizing radiation, thermal aging and simulated potential damage on mechanical, thermal and optical properties of a commercial off the shelf (COTS) polyester solar sail membrane to assess the degradation mechanisms on a feasible solar sail. The solar sail membrane was exposed to high energy electrons (about 70 keV and 10 nA/cm2), and the physical properties were characterized. After about 8.3 Grad dose, the tensile modulus, tensile strength and failure strain of the sail membrane decreased by about 20 95%. The aluminum reflective layer was damaged and partially delaminated but it did not show any significant change in solar absorbance or thermal emittance. The effect on mechanical properties of a pre-cracked sample, simulating potential impact damage of the sail membrane, as well as thermal aging effects on metallized PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) film will be discussed.

Indoor environmental quality and energy consumption relation in offices: case study of two offices in Iran

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ashrafian, Touraj; Moazzen Ferdos, Nazanin [Islamic Azad University Tabriz branch (Iran, Islamic Republic of)], email: t.ashrafian@gmail.com, email: moazzen_arch@yahoo.com; Haghlesan, Masoud [Islamic Azad University, Ilkhichi Branch (Iran, Islamic Republic of)], email: mhaghlesan@yahoo.com

2011-07-01

Nowadays, most people spend more than 90% of their time indoors, therefore the quality of the indoor environment has a significant impact on human health. However, improving indoor environment quality (IEQ) requires a higher energy consumption through increasing lighting, heating and cooling. The aim of this study is to determine an appropriate level of IEQ with the least energy consumption possible. The relation between energy consumption and IEQ in 2 offices in Iran has been studied through the use of questionnaires and simulations. It was found that IEQ has a great impact on workers' productivity and that diminishing the energy consumption does not necessarily translate into economic benefits. In addition it was found that lighting and heating are the main sources of energy consumption and that noise and light are what most influence worker productivity. This study highlighted the relation between energy consumption and IEQ and pointed out the most important factors.

Governator vs. Hunter and Aggregator: A simulation of party competition with vote-seeking and office-seeking rules.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehrer, Roni; Schumacher, Gijs

2018-01-01

The policy positions parties choose are central to both attracting voters and forming coalition governments. How then should parties choose positions to best represent voters? Laver and Sergenti show that in an agent-based model with boundedly rational actors a decision rule (Aggregator) that takes the mean policy position of its supporters is the best rule to achieve high congruence between voter preferences and party positions. But this result only pertains to representation by the legislature, not representation by the government. To evaluate this we add a coalition formation procedure with boundedly rational parties to the Laver and Sergenti model of party competition. We also add two new decision rules that are sensitive to government formation outcomes rather than voter positions. We develop two simulations: a single-rule one in which parties with the same rule compete and an evolutionary simulation in which parties with different rules compete. In these simulations we analyze party behavior under a large number of different parameters that describe real-world variance in political parties' motives and party system characteristics. Our most important conclusion is that Aggregators also produce the best match between government policy and voter preferences. Moreover, even though citizens often frown upon politicians' interest in the prestige and rents that come with winning political office (office pay-offs), we find that citizens actually receive better representation by the government if politicians are motivated by these office pay-offs in contrast to politicians with ideological motivations (policy pay-offs). Finally, we show that while more parties are linked to better political representation, how parties choose policy positions affects political representation as well. Overall, we conclude that to understand variation in the quality of political representation scholars should look beyond electoral systems and take into account variation in party

Thermal environment in a simulated double office room with convective and radiant cooling systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mustakallio, Panu; Bolashikov, Zhecho Dimitrov; Rezgals, Lauris

2017-01-01

anddraught rate was calculated. Manikin-based equivalent temperature (MBET) was determined by using two thermal manikins. CCMV provided slightly more uniform thermal environment and the least sensitive to different workstation layouts than the other systems. CB provided a bit higher draught rate levels than...

Visual simulation study of equipment maintenance in dangerous environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Bo; Yang Yanhua; Li Shiting

2010-01-01

The maintenance characteristics in dangerous environments are analyzed, and the application characteristics of visualized maintenance technology are introduced. The interactive method to implement maintenance simulation is presented using EON simulation platform. Then an interacted Virtual Maintenance Training System (VMTS) is further developed, and the composition and function are described in details. The VMTS can be used in extensive array of application scopes, and it is well compatible to the hardware of virtual reality. (author)

A vision driven wayfinding simulation system based on the architectural features perceived in the office environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chen, Qunli

2012-01-01

Human wayfinding in the built environment is extensively investigated in the last 50 years. One major aspect of the outcome is the decision made on the egresses based on the information perceived during the wayfinding. Information acquired of the environment could be categorized into several types,

A Phenomenological Study of the Office Environments of Clinical Social Workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Jamie K

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning and uses of the office space among licensed clinical social workers in private practice. Previous research suggests the importance of the office space in clinical practice in regard to therapeutic alliance, client behavior, and the well-being of the therapist. However, therapist offices contain much variation in design. This study looked further into specifically how the therapy room is important through the perspective of the licensed clinical social workers in order to identify common themes. Seven licensed clinical social workers in private psychotherapy practice were interviewed in their offices. Phenomenological research methods were used to explore and analyze their experiences. While the offices contained many physical differences, the intentions behind the designs were similar. Three themes emerged regarding how participants used and designed their spaces. First, participants used their offices to provide care for clients and themselves. Second, participants used their spaces to communicate therapeutic messages and to reveal and/or conceal aspects of themselves. Third, participants also used their space in direct practice. This phenomenological study provided insight into the importance and use of the psychotherapy office space. These findings may be helpful for therapists designing or redesigning their own practice spaces.

Development of a Virtual Environment for Catapult Launch Officers

Science.gov (United States)

2015-03-01

the duties of a launch officer. Analysis of the data gathered from the job task analysis produced a flowchart that can be represented as a finite...duties of a launch officer. Analysis of the data gathered from the job task analysis produced a flowchart that can be represented as a finite state...pass through when learning a skill as shown in Table 3.1. These skill levels are: novice, advanced beginner , competence, proficiency, expertise

A Multiagent Modeling Environment for Simulating Work Practice in Organizations

Science.gov (United States)

Sierhuis, Maarten; Clancey, William J.; vanHoof, Ron

2004-01-01

In this paper we position Brahms as a tool for simulating organizational processes. Brahms is a modeling and simulation environment for analyzing human work practice, and for using such models to develop intelligent software agents to support the work practice in organizations. Brahms is the result of more than ten years of research at the Institute for Research on Learning (IRL), NYNEX Science & Technology (the former R&D institute of the Baby Bell telephone company in New York, now Verizon), and for the last six years at NASA Ames Research Center, in the Work Systems Design and Evaluation group, part of the Computational Sciences Division (Code IC). Brahms has been used on more than ten modeling and simulation research projects, and recently has been used as a distributed multiagent development environment for developing work practice support tools for human in-situ science exploration on planetary surfaces, in particular a human mission to Mars. Brahms was originally conceived of as a business process modeling and simulation tool that incorporates the social systems of work, by illuminating how formal process flow descriptions relate to people s actual located activities in the workplace. Our research started in the early nineties as a reaction to experiences with work process modeling and simulation . Although an effective tool for convincing management of the potential cost-savings of the newly designed work processes, the modeling and simulation environment was only able to describe work as a normative workflow. However, the social systems, uncovered in work practices studied by the design team played a significant role in how work actually got done-actual lived work. Multi- tasking, informal assistance and circumstantial work interactions could not easily be represented in a tool with a strict workflow modeling paradigm. In response, we began to develop a tool that would have the benefits of work process modeling and simulation, but be distinctively able to

7 CFR 2.4 - General officers.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

..., Nutrition, and Consumer Services; the Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment; the Under... OFFICERS OF THE DEPARTMENT General § 2.4 General officers. The work of the Department is under the...

Effect of open-plan office noise on occupant comfort and performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Toftum, Jørn; Lund, Søren; Kristiansen, Jesper

This study investigated effects on comfort, symptoms, and office work performance of exposure to office noise. Forty-nine subjects who were employees working in open-plan offices participated in two full-day experiments simulating an ordinary work day; one day with and one day without exposure...... to pre-recorded office noise. Exposure to office noise affected negatively ratings of adverse perceptions, selected symptoms, and self-assessed performance, but not the performance of the simulated office tasks. Occupants who in their daily work were disturbed by open-plan office noise were less tolerant...

The Use of Computer Simulation to Compare Student performance in Traditional versus Distance Learning Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Retta Guy

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Simulations have been shown to be an effective tool in traditional learning environments; however, as distance learning grows in popularity, the need to examine simulation effectiveness in this environment has become paramount. A casual-comparative design was chosen for this study to determine whether students using a computer-based instructional simulation in hybrid and fully online environments learned better than traditional classroom learners. The study spans a period of 6 years beginning fall 2008 through spring 2014. The population studied was 281 undergraduate business students self-enrolled in a 200-level microcomputer application course. The overall results support previous studies in that computer simulations are most effective when used as a supplement to face-to-face lectures and in hybrid environments.

40 CFR 1.29 - Office of Inspector General.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Office of Inspector General. 1.29 Section 1.29 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GENERAL STATEMENT OF ORGANIZATION... operations. The Office provides leadership and coordination and recommends policies for other Agency...

Simulation based virtual learning environment in medical genetics counseling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Makransky, Guido; Bonde, Mads T; Wulff, Julie S G

2016-01-01

learning environments increase students' knowledge, intrinsic motivation, and self-efficacy, and help them generalize from laboratory analyses to clinical practice and health decision-making. METHODS: An entire class of 300 University of Copenhagen first-year undergraduate students, most with a major...... in medicine, received a 2-h training session in a simulation based learning environment. The main outcomes were pre- to post- changes in knowledge, intrinsic motivation, and self-efficacy, together with post-intervention evaluation of the effect of the simulation on student understanding of everyday clinical...... practice were demonstrated. RESULTS: Knowledge (Cohen's d = 0.73), intrinsic motivation (d = 0.24), and self-efficacy (d = 0.46) significantly increased from the pre- to post-test. Low knowledge students showed the greatest increases in knowledge (d = 3.35) and self-efficacy (d = 0.61), but a non...

A Data Stream Model For Runoff Simulation In A Changing Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Q.; Shao, J.; Zhang, H.; Wang, G.

2017-12-01

Runoff simulation is of great significance for water engineering design, water disaster control, water resources planning and management in a catchment or region. A large number of methods including concept-based process-driven models and statistic-based data-driven models, have been proposed and widely used in worldwide during past decades. Most existing models assume that the relationship among runoff and its impacting factors is stationary. However, in the changing environment (e.g., climate change, human disturbance), their relationship usually evolves over time. In this study, we propose a data stream model for runoff simulation in a changing environment. Specifically, the proposed model works in three steps: learning a rule set, expansion of a rule, and simulation. The first step is to initialize a rule set. When a new observation arrives, the model will check which rule covers it and then use the rule for simulation. Meanwhile, Page-Hinckley (PH) change detection test is used to monitor the online simulation error of each rule. If a change is detected, the corresponding rule is removed from the rule set. In the second step, for each rule, if it covers more than a given number of instance, the rule is expected to expand. In the third step, a simulation model of each leaf node is learnt with a perceptron without activation function, and is updated with adding a newly incoming observation. Taking Fuxi River catchment as a case study, we applied the model to simulate the monthly runoff in the catchment. Results show that abrupt change is detected in the year of 1997 by using the Page-Hinckley change detection test method, which is consistent with the historic record of flooding. In addition, the model achieves good simulation results with the RMSE of 13.326, and outperforms many established methods. The findings demonstrated that the proposed data stream model provides a promising way to simulate runoff in a changing environment.

Out of Office : A Study on the Cause of Office Vacancy and Transformation as a Means to Cope and Prevent

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Remøy, H.

2010-01-01

Office building vacancy is becoming an increasingly visible part of the cityscape. Billboards shout “for rent” and office locations look abandoned even in the middle of the day. Still, new office buildings and locations are being developed, adding up to the built environment. As hardly any office

40 CFR 247.16 - Non-paper office products.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... pressboard binders containing recovered paper; and solid plastic binders containing recovered plastic. (e... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Non-paper office products. 247.16...-paper office products. (a) Office recycling containers and office waste receptacles. (b) Plastic desktop...

Status of activities on the inactive uranium mill tailings sites remedial action program. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1981-04-01

This report on the status of the Office of Environment's program for inactive uranium mill tailings sites is an analysis of the current status and a forecast of future activities of the Office of Environment. The termination date for receipt of information was September 30, 1980. Aerial radiological surveys and detailed ground radiological assessments of properties within the communities in the vicinity of the designated processing sites in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Boise, Idaho led to the designation of an initial group of vicinity properties for remedial action. The potential health effects of the residual radioactive materials on or near these properties were estimated, and the Assistant Secretary for Environment recommended priorities for performing remedial action to the Department's Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy. In designating these properties and establishing recommended priorities for performing remedial action, the Office of Environment consulted with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, representatives from the affected State and local governments, and individual property owners. After notifying the Governors of each of the affected States and the Navajo Nation of the Secretary of Energy's designation of processing sites within their areas of jurisdiction and establishment of remedial action priorities, a Sample Cooperative Agreement was developed by the Department in consultation with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and provided to the affected States and the Navajo Nation for comments. During September 1980, a Cooperative Agreement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the designated Canonsburg processing site was executed by the Department. It is anticipated that a Cooperative Agreement between the State of Utah and the Department to perform remedial actions at the designated Salt Lake City site will be executed in the near future.

Status of activities on the inactive uranium mill tailings sites remedial action program. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-04-01

This report on the status of the Office of Environment's program for inactive uranium mill tailings sites is an analysis of the current status and a forecast of future activities of the Office of Environment. The termination date for receipt of information was September 30, 1980. Aerial radiological surveys and detailed ground radiological assessments of properties within the communities in the vicinity of the designated processing sites in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Boise, Idaho led to the designation of an initial group of vicinity properties for remedial action. The potential health effects of the residual radioactive materials on or near these properties were estimated, and the Assistant Secretary for Environment recommended priorities for performing remedial action to the Department's Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy. In designating these properties and establishing recommended priorities for performing remedial action, the Office of Environment consulted with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, representatives from the affected State and local governments, and individual property owners. After notifying the Governors of each of the affected States and the Navajo Nation of the Secretary of Energy's designation of processing sites within their areas of jurisdiction and establishment of remedial action priorities, a Sample Cooperative Agreement was developed by the Department in consultation with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and provided to the affected States and the Navajo Nation for comments. During September 1980, a Cooperative Agreement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the designated Canonsburg processing site was executed by the Department. It is anticipated that a Cooperative Agreement between the State of Utah and the Department to perform remedial actions at the designated Salt Lake City site will be executed in the near future

High Fidelity Simulation of Littoral Environments: Applications and Coupling of Participating Models

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Allard, Richard

2003-01-01

The High Fidelity Simulation of Littoral Environments (HFSoLE) Challenge Project (C75) encompasses a suite of seven oceanographic models capable of exchanging information in a physically meaningful sense across the littoral environment...

Built sustainability. The office building of the Federal Ministry for the Environment in Berlin; Gebaute Nachhaltigkeit. Der Berliner Dienstsitz des Bundesumweltministeriums

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mager, Hans; Schulz, Juergen; Weigand, Reinhold (comps.)

2011-06-15

With the move into the office building in the Stresemann Street in Berlin (Federal Republic of Germany), the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety adopts a remarkable new building in the new centre of Berlin. It is the first Federal authority at all which works in a low-energy and passive house. This brochure under consideration reports on the history and architecture of the new office building as well as its sustainable energy management and life cycle assessments.

A SIMULATION ENVIRONMENT FOR AUTOMATIC NIGHT DRIVING AND VISUAL CONTROL

OpenAIRE

Arroyo Rubio, Fernando

2012-01-01

This project consists on developing an automatic night driving system in a simulation environment. The simulator I have used is TORCS. TORCS is an Open Source car racing simulator written in C++. It is used as an ordinary car racing game, as a IA racing game and as a research platform. The goal of this thesis is to implement an automatic driving system to control the car under night conditions using computer vision. A camera is implemented inside the vehicle and it will detect the reflective ...

Cell survival in a simulated Mars environment

Science.gov (United States)

Todd, Paul; Kurk, Michael Andy; Boland, Eugene; Thomas, David

2016-07-01

The most ancient life forms on earth date back comfortably to the time when liquid water was believed to be abundant on Mars. These ancient life forms include cyanobacteria, contemporary autotrophic earth organisms believed to have descended from ancestors present as long as 3.5 billion years ago. Contemporary cyanobacteria have adapted to the earth environment's harshest conditions (long-term drying, high and low temperature), and, being autotrophic, they are among the most likely life forms to withstand space travel and the Mars environment. However, it is unlikely that humans would unwittingly contaminate a planetary spacecraft with these microbes. One the other hand, heterotrophic microbes that co-habit with humans are more likely spacecraft contaminants, as history attests. Indeed, soil samples from the Atacama desert have yielded colony-forming organisms resembling enteric bacteria. There is a need to understand the survivability of cyanobacteria (likely survivors, unlikely contaminants) and heterotrophic eubacteria (unlikely survivors, likely contaminants) under simulated planetary conditions. A 35-day test was performed in a commercial planetary simulation system (Techshot, Inc., Greenville, IN) in which the minimum night-time temperature was -80 C, the maximum daytime temperature was +26 C, the simulated day-night light cycle in earth hours was 12-on and 12-off, and the total pressure of the pure CO _{2} atmosphere was maintained below 11 mbar. Any water present was allowed to equilibrate with the changing temperature and pressure. The gas phase was sampled into a CR1-A low-pressure hygrometer (Buck Technologies, Boulder, CO), and dew/frost point was measured once every hour and recorded on a data logger, along with the varying temperature in the chamber, from which the partial pressure of water was calculated. According to measurements there was no liquid water present throughout the test except during the initial pump-down period when aqueous specimens

A Planetarium Inside Your Office: Virtual Reality in the Dome Production Pipeline

Science.gov (United States)

Summers, Frank

2018-01-01

Producing astronomy visualization sequences for a planetarium without ready access to a dome is a distorted geometric challenge. Fortunately, one can now use virtual reality (VR) to simulate a dome environment without ever leaving one's office chair. The VR dome experience has proven to be a more than suitable pre-visualization method that requires only modest amounts of processing beyond the standard production pipeline. It also provides a crucial testbed for identifying, testing, and fixing the visual constraints and artifacts that arise in a spherical presentation environment. Topics adreesed here will include rendering, geometric projection, movie encoding, software playback, and hardware setup for a virtual dome using VR headsets.

SpiCAD: Integrated environment for circuitry simulation with SPICE code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D' Amore, D; Padovini, G; Santomauro, M [Politecnico di Milano (Italy). Dip. di Elettronica

1991-11-01

SPICE is one of the most commonly used programs for the simulation of the behaviour of electronic circuits. This article describes in detail the key design characteristics and capabilities of a computer environment called SpiCAD which integrates all the different phases of SPICE based circuitry simulation on a personal computer, i.e., the tracing of the electronics scheme, simulation and visualization of the results so as to help define semiconductor device models, determine input signals, construct macro-models and convert design sketches into formats acceptable to graphic systems.

A web-based, collaborative modeling, simulation, and parallel computing environment for electromechanical systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoliang Yin

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Complex electromechanical system is usually composed of multiple components from different domains, including mechanical, electronic, hydraulic, control, and so on. Modeling and simulation for electromechanical system on a unified platform is one of the research hotspots in system engineering at present. It is also the development trend of the design for complex electromechanical system. The unified modeling techniques and tools based on Modelica language provide a satisfactory solution. To meet with the requirements of collaborative modeling, simulation, and parallel computing for complex electromechanical systems based on Modelica, a general web-based modeling and simulation prototype environment, namely, WebMWorks, is designed and implemented. Based on the rich Internet application technologies, an interactive graphic user interface for modeling and post-processing on web browser was implemented; with the collaborative design module, the environment supports top-down, concurrent modeling and team cooperation; additionally, service-oriented architecture–based architecture was applied to supply compiling and solving services which run on cloud-like servers, so the environment can manage and dispatch large-scale simulation tasks in parallel on multiple computing servers simultaneously. An engineering application about pure electric vehicle is tested on WebMWorks. The results of simulation and parametric experiment demonstrate that the tested web-based environment can effectively shorten the design cycle of the complex electromechanical system.

Retrofit electrochromic glazing in a UK office

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruth Kelly Waskett

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Electrochromic (EC glazing is now considered a viable alternative to fixed transmittance glazing. It has the potential to enable occupants to control daylight glare and solar heat gain without the use of blinds or external shading devices, giving users more access to daylight with all its inherent benefits. Furthermore, EC glazing can reduce energy consumption by decreasing cooling loads and electric lighting usage. Most research to date has studied the effects of EC glazing in scale models, computer simulations and full scale test rooms, and some of these studies have included human participants. However, there is a general lack of understanding regarding the performance and suitability of EC glazing in real-world working environments. A case study of the first UK retrofit application of EC glazing is being conducted in two adjacent offices in a university campus building. The offices are occupied by administration staff and have large southeastfacing windows. The existing double glazed units were replaced with commercially-available EC glazed units in 2012. Over a period of more than 18 months, the rooms were monitored intensively to record the effect of the EC glazing on both the physical room environment and the occupants themselves. A large amount of data from the monitoring programme is currently undergoing detailed analysis. Initial findings emerging from the installation and post-installation period are described in this paper.

Electrochemistry of lead in simulated ground water environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joerg, E.A.; Devereux, O.F.

1996-01-01

Lead and lead alloys are used commonly as moisture barriers for underground cables. Lead exhibits excellent corrosion resistance in a variety of environments, but areas of localized attack have been found. These can result in able failures. The susceptibility of lead to pitting in several simulated ground water (SGW) environments was assessed using cyclic potentiodynamic pitting scans (PPS) and microscopy. Although general corrosion was observed, PPS demonstrated pitting did not occur in the same sense as in alloys known to be susceptible to pitting (i.e., very localized pit formation without general corrosion). However, areas of nonuniform general attack did occur, resulting in pitted surface morphologies

Evaluation and development the routing protocol of a fully functional simulation environment for VANETs

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Azhar Tareq; Warip, Mohd Nazri Mohd; Yaakob, Naimah; Abduljabbar, Waleed Khalid; Atta, Abdu Mohammed Ali

2017-11-01

Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) is an area of wireless technologies that is attracting a great deal of interest. There are still several areas of VANETS, such as security and routing protocols, medium access control, that lack large amounts of research. There is also a lack of freely available simulators that can quickly and accurately simulate VANETs. The main goal of this paper is to develop a freely available VANETS simulator and to evaluate popular mobile ad-hoc network routing protocols in several VANETS scenarios. The VANETS simulator consisted of a network simulator, traffic (mobility simulator) and used a client-server application to keep the two simulators in sync. The VANETS simulator also models buildings to create a more realistic wireless network environment. Ad-Hoc Distance Vector routing (AODV), Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) and Dynamic MANET On-demand (DYMO) were initially simulated in a city, country, and highway environment to provide an overall evaluation.

A combined field and laboratory design for assessing the impact of night shift work on police officer operational performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Waggoner, Lauren B; Grant, Devon A; Van Dongen, Hans P A; Belenky, Gregory; Vila, Bryan

2012-11-01

This study assessed the utility of a combined field and laboratory research design for measuring the impact of consecutive night shift work on the sleepiness, vigilance, and driving performance of police patrol officers. For police patrol officers working their normal night shift duty cycles, simulated driving performance and psychomotor vigilance were measured in a laboratory on two separate occasions: in the morning after the last of five consecutive 10.7-h night shifts, and at the same time in the morning after three consecutive days off duty. Order of participation in conditions was randomized among subjects. Subjects experienced manipulation of sleep schedules due to working night shifts in a real operational environment, but performance testing was conducted under controlled laboratory conditions. N = 29 active-duty police patrol officers (27 male, 2 female; age 37.1 ± 6.3 years) working night shift schedules participated in this study. Simulated driving performance, psychomotor vigilance, and subjective sleepiness were significantly degraded following 5 consecutive night shifts as compared to 3 consecutive days off duty, indicating that active-duty police officers are susceptible to performance degradation as a consequence of working nights. This combined field and laboratory research design succeeded in bridging the gap between the realism of the operational environment and the control of laboratory performance testing, demonstrating that this is a useful approach for addressing the relationship between shift work induced fatigue and critical operational task performance.

Physics-based statistical model and simulation method of RF propagation in urban environments

Science.gov (United States)

Pao, Hsueh-Yuan; Dvorak, Steven L.

2010-09-14

A physics-based statistical model and simulation/modeling method and system of electromagnetic wave propagation (wireless communication) in urban environments. In particular, the model is a computationally efficient close-formed parametric model of RF propagation in an urban environment which is extracted from a physics-based statistical wireless channel simulation method and system. The simulation divides the complex urban environment into a network of interconnected urban canyon waveguides which can be analyzed individually; calculates spectral coefficients of modal fields in the waveguides excited by the propagation using a database of statistical impedance boundary conditions which incorporates the complexity of building walls in the propagation model; determines statistical parameters of the calculated modal fields; and determines a parametric propagation model based on the statistical parameters of the calculated modal fields from which predictions of communications capability may be made.

A simulation environment for ITER PCS development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, M.L.; Ambrosino, G.; De Tommasi, G.; Humphreys, D.A.; Mattei, M.; Neu, G.; Raupp, G.; Treutterer, W.; Winter, A.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Describes task to develop simulation tool to aid development/testing of ITER PCS. • Requirements and use cases and preliminary architecture have been delivered. • Detailed design is now being developed. • Provides overview of use cases and requirements. • Provides overview of architecture and status of development. - Abstract: A simulation environment known as the Plasma Control System Simulation Platform (PCSSP), specifically designed to support development of the ITER Plasma Control System (PCS), is currently under construction by an international team encompassing a cross-section of expertise in simulation and exception handling for plasma control. The proposed design addresses the challenging requirements of supporting the PCS design. This paper provides an overview of the PCSSP project and a discussion of some of the major features of its design. Plasma control for the ITER tokamak will be significantly more challenging than for existing fusion devices. An order of magnitude greater performance (e.g. [1,2]) is needed for some types of control, which together with limited actuator authority, implies that optimized individual controllers and nonlinear saturation logic are required. At the same time, consequences of control failure are significantly more severe, which implies a conflicting requirement for robust control. It also implies a requirement for comprehensive and robust exception handling. Coordinated control of multiple competing objectives with significant interactions, together with many shared uses of actuators to control multiple variables, implies that highly integrated control logic and shared actuator management will be required. It remains a challenge for the integrated technologies to simultaneously address these multiple and often competing requirements to be demonstrated on existing fusion devices and adapted for ITER in time to support its operational schedule. We describe ways in which the PCSSP will help address

Implementing lean office: a successful case in public sector

OpenAIRE

Monteiro, Mónica F. J. R.; Pacheco, Claudia C. L.; Dinis-Carvalho, José; Paiva, Francisco C.

2015-01-01

Applying lean approaches in office areas can lead to performance improvements and other benefits as achieved in traditional manufacturing environments. The intangibility of office operations may appear as a major difficulty for lean implementations but in fact the benefits achievable are as important as the ones achieved in manufacturing environments. This paper reports a successful case of lean office implementation in a public sector organization giving emphasis to its major performance imp...

Expanding the modeling capabilities of the cognitive environment simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roth, E.M.; Mumaw, R.J.; Pople, H.E. Jr.

1991-01-01

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been conducting a research program to develop more effective tools to model the cognitive activities that underlie intention formation during nuclear power plant (NPP) emergencies. Under this program an artificial intelligence (AI) computer simulation called Cognitive Environment Simulation (CES) has been developed. CES simulates the cognitive activities involved in responding to a NPP accident situation. It is intended to provide an analytic tool for predicting likely human responses, and the kinds of errors that can plausibly arise under different accident conditions to support human reliability analysis. Recently CES was extended to handle a class of interfacing loss of coolant accidents (ISLOCAs). This paper summarizes the results of these exercises and describes follow-on work currently underway

User behavior in Smart and Sustainable Offices (SSO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. W. Kozusznik

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Smart and Sustainable Offices (SSO require synergies between technologies and users behaviors. The sociotechnical approach considers users’ motives, attitudes, cognitions and behaviors when designing work environments. This note will describe those phenomena in office environments. It will also present a set of tools to assess those phenomena and will provide guidelines to improve them.

Time-Domain Simulations of Transient Species in Experimentally Relevant Environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ueltschi, Tyler W.; Fischer, Sean A.; Apra, Edoardo; Tarnovsky, Alexander N.; Govind, Niranjan; El-Khoury, Patrick Z.; Hess, Wayne P.

2016-02-04

Simulating the spectroscopic properties of short-lived thermal and photochemical reaction intermediates and products is a challenging task, as these species often feature atypical molecular and electronic structures. The complex environments in which such species typically reside in practice add further complexity to the problem. Herein, we tackle this problem in silico using ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations, employing iso-CHBr3, namely H(Br)C-Br-Br, as a prototypical system. This species was chosen because it features both a non-conventional C-Br-Br bonding pattern, as well as a strong dependence of its spectral features on the local environment in which it resides, as illustrated in recent experimental reports. The spectroscopic properties of iso-CHBr3 were measured by several groups that captured this transient intermediate in the photochemistry of CHBr3 in the gas phase, in rare gas matrices at 5K, and in solution under ambient laboratory conditions. We simulate the UV-Vis and IR spectra of iso-CHBr3 in all three media, including a Ne cluster (64 atoms) and a methylcyclohexane cage (14 solvent molecules) representative of the matrix isolated and solvated species. We exclusively perform fully quantum mechanical static and dynamic simulations. By comparing our condensed phase simulations to their experimental analogues, we stress the importance of (i) conformational sampling, even at cryogenic temperatures, and (ii) using a fully quantum mechanical description of both solute and bath to properly account for the experimental observables.

Simulator for testing hardware and software of the office system with RFID tags

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nowicki Tadeusz

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the method for examining the properties of the RFID-tagged document management system. The system is composed of computers, where the software for supporting processes of the RFID-tagged documents was installed. Furthermore, the system cooperates with many other elements of the office (cabinets, sluices, copiers, try rider, end so one. The examination of the properties of the RFID-tagged document management system is, in this case, complex due to the number of a possible examination scenarios. The simulator method for examining the system properties was design and implemented. It allows to conduct the examination of the properties in a short period of time for numerous testing scenarios.

40 CFR 1.49 - Office of Water.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Office of Water. 1.49 Section 1.49... INFORMATION Headquarters § 1.49 Office of Water. The Office of Water, under the supervision of the Assistant Administrator for Water who serves as the principal adviser to the Administrator in matters pertaining to water...

Specification of requirements for the virtual environment for reactor applications simulation environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hess, S. M.; Pytel, M.

2012-01-01

In 2010, the United States Dept. of Energy initiated a research and development effort to develop modern modeling and simulation methods that could utilize high performance computing capabilities to address issues important to nuclear power plant operation, safety and sustainability. To respond to this need, a consortium of national laboratories, academic institutions and industry partners (the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors - CASL) was formed to develop an integrated Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA) modeling and simulation capability. A critical element for the success of the CASL research and development effort was the development of an integrated set of overarching requirements that provides guidance in the planning, development, and management of the VERA modeling and simulation software. These requirements also provide a mechanism from which the needs of a broad array of external CASL stakeholders (e.g. reactor / fuel vendors, plant owner / operators, regulatory personnel, etc.) can be identified and integrated into the VERA development plans. This paper presents an overview of the initial set of requirements contained within the VERA Requirements Document (VRD) that currently is being used to govern development of the VERA software within the CASL program. The complex interdisciplinary nature of these requirements together with a multi-physics coupling approach to realize a core simulator capability pose a challenge to how the VRD should be derived and subsequently revised to accommodate the needs of different stakeholders. Thus, the VRD is viewed as an evolving document that will be updated periodically to reflect the changing needs of identified CASL stakeholders and lessons learned during the progress of the CASL modeling and simulation program. (authors)

Interactive Learning Environment: Web-based Virtual Hydrological Simulation System using Augmented and Immersive Reality

Science.gov (United States)

Demir, I.

2014-12-01

Recent developments in internet technologies make it possible to manage and visualize large data on the web. Novel visualization techniques and interactive user interfaces allow users to create realistic environments, and interact with data to gain insight from simulations and environmental observations. The hydrological simulation system is a web-based 3D interactive learning environment for teaching hydrological processes and concepts. The simulation systems provides a visually striking platform with realistic terrain information, and water simulation. Students can create or load predefined scenarios, control environmental parameters, and evaluate environmental mitigation alternatives. The web-based simulation system provides an environment for students to learn about the hydrological processes (e.g. flooding and flood damage), and effects of development and human activity in the floodplain. The system utilizes latest web technologies and graphics processing unit (GPU) for water simulation and object collisions on the terrain. Users can access the system in three visualization modes including virtual reality, augmented reality, and immersive reality using heads-up display. The system provides various scenarios customized to fit the age and education level of various users. This presentation provides an overview of the web-based flood simulation system, and demonstrates the capabilities of the system for various visualization and interaction modes.

Improved climate risk simulations for rice in arid environments.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pepijn A J van Oort

Full Text Available We integrated recent research on cardinal temperatures for phenology and early leaf growth, spikelet formation, early morning flowering, transpirational cooling, and heat- and cold-induced sterility into an existing to crop growth model ORYZA2000. We compared for an arid environment observed potential yields with yields simulated with default ORYZA2000, with modified subversions of ORYZA2000 and with ORYZA_S, a model developed for the region of interest in the 1990s. Rice variety 'IR64' was sown monthly 15-times in a row in two locations in Senegal. The Senegal River Valley is located in the Sahel, near the Sahara desert with extreme temperatures during day and night. The existing subroutines underestimated cold stress and overestimated heat stress. Forcing the model to use observed spikelet number and phenology and replacing the existing heat and cold subroutines improved accuracy of yield simulation from EF = -0.32 to EF =0.70 (EF is modelling efficiency. The main causes of improved accuracy were that the new model subversions take into account transpirational cooling (which is high in arid environments and early morning flowering for heat sterility, and minimum rather than average temperature for cold sterility. Simulations were less accurate when also spikelet number and phenology were simulated. Model efficiency was 0.14 with new heat and cold routines and improved to 0.48 when using new cardinal temperatures for phenology and early leaf growth. The new adapted subversion of ORYZA2000 offers a powerful analytic tool for climate change impact assessment and cropping calendar optimisation in arid regions.

An evaluation of different setups for simulating lighting characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Salters, Bart; Murdoch, Michael; Sekulovksi, Dragan; Chen, Shih-Han; Seuntiens, Pieter

2012-03-01

The advance of technology continuously enables new luminaire designs and concepts. Evaluating such designs has traditionally been done using actual prototypes, in a real environment. The iterations needed to build, verify, and improve luminaire designs incur substantial costs and slow down the design process. A more attractive way is to evaluate designs using simulations, as they can be made cheaper and quicker for a wider variety of prototypes. However, the value of such simulations is determined by how closely they predict the outcome of actual perception experiments. In this paper, we discuss an actual perception experiment including several lighting settings in a normal office environment. The same office environment also has been modeled using different software tools, and photo-realistic renderings have been created of these models. These renderings were subsequently processed using various tonemapping operators in preparation for display. The total imaging chain can be considered a simulation setup, and we have executed several perception experiments on different setups. Our real interest is in finding which imaging chain gives us the best result, or in other words, which of them yields the closest match between virtual and real experiment. To answer this question, first of all an answer has to be found to the question, "which simulation setup matches the real world best?" As there is no unique, widely accepted measure to describe the performance of a certain setup, we consider a number of options and discuss the reasoning behind them along with their advantages and disadvantages.

Physical and psychological discomfort in the office environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ariës, M.B.C.; Veitch, J.A.; Newsham, G.R.

2007-01-01

Office employees spend a lot of time inside buildings, where the physical conditions influence their well-being and indirectþ influence their employers' business performance. With data from a field study conducted in the Netherlands in April-May 2003, we used path analysis to further elucidate the

MSTS - Multiphase Subsurface Transport Simulator theory manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, M.D.; Nichols, W.E.

1993-05-01

The US Department of Energy, through the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project Office, has designated the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada for detailed study as the candidate US geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Site characterization will determine the suitability of the Yucca Mountain site for the potential waste repository. If the site is determined suitable, subsequent studies and characterization will be conducted to obtain authorization from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to construct the potential waste repository. A principal component of the characterization and licensing processes involves numerically predicting the thermal and hydrologic response of the subsurface environment of the Yucca Mountain site to the potential repository over a 10,000-year period. The thermal and hydrologic response of the subsurface environment to the repository is anticipated to include complex processes of countercurrent vapor and liquid migration, multiple-phase heat transfer, multiple-phase transport, and geochemical reactions. Numerical simulators based on mathematical descriptions of these subsurface phenomena are required to make numerical predictions of the thermal and hydrologic response of the Yucca Mountain subsurface environment The engineering simulator called the Multiphase Subsurface Transport Simulator (MSTS) was developed at the request of the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project Office to produce numerical predictions of subsurface flow and transport phenomena at the potential Yucca Mountain site. This document delineates the design architecture and describes the specific computational algorithms that compose MSTS. Details for using MSTS and sample problems are given in the open-quotes User's Guide and Referenceclose quotes companion document

Augmenting Sand Simulation Environments through Subdivision and Particle Refinement

Science.gov (United States)

Clothier, M.; Bailey, M.

2012-12-01

Recent advances in computer graphics and parallel processing hardware have provided disciplines with new methods to evaluate and visualize data. These advances have proven useful for earth and planetary scientists as many researchers are using this hardware to process large amounts of data for analysis. As such, this has provided opportunities for collaboration between computer graphics and the earth sciences. Through collaboration with the Oregon Space Grant and IGERT Ecosystem Informatics programs, we are investigating techniques for simulating the behavior of sand. We are also collaborating with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL) DARTS Lab to exchange ideas and gain feedback on our research. The DARTS Lab specializes in simulation of planetary vehicles, such as the Mars rovers. Their simulations utilize a virtual "sand box" to test how a planetary vehicle responds to different environments. Our research builds upon this idea to create a sand simulation framework so that planetary environments, such as the harsh, sandy regions on Mars, are more fully realized. More specifically, we are focusing our research on the interaction between a planetary vehicle, such as a rover, and the sand beneath it, providing further insight into its performance. Unfortunately, this can be a computationally complex problem, especially if trying to represent the enormous quantities of sand particles interacting with each other. However, through the use of high-performance computing, we have developed a technique to subdivide areas of actively participating sand regions across a large landscape. Similar to a Level of Detail (LOD) technique, we only subdivide regions of a landscape where sand particles are actively participating with another object. While the sand is within this subdivision window and moves closer to the surface of the interacting object, the sand region subdivides into smaller regions until individual sand particles are left at the surface. As an example, let's say

Qualified operator training in the simulated control room environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ionescu, Teodor; Studineanu, Emil; Radulescu, Catalina; Bolocan, Gabriel

2005-01-01

Full text: Mainly designed for the training of the Cernavoda NPP Unit 2 operators, the virtual simulated environment allows the training of the already qualified operators for Cernavoda NPP Unit 1, adding to the already trained knowledge, the differences which has occurred in the Unit 2 design. Using state-of-the-art computers and displays and qualified software, the virtual simulated panels could offer a viable alternative to classic hardware-based training. This approach allows quick training of the new procedures required by the new configuration of the re-designed operator panels in the main control room of Cernavoda NPP Unit 2. (authors)

Qualified operator training in the simulated control room environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ionescu, Teodor; Studineanu, Emil; Radulescu, Catalina; Bolocan, Gabriel

2005-01-01

Mainly designed for the training of the Cernavoda NPP Unit 2 operators, the virtual simulated environment allows the training of the already qualified operators for Cernavoda NPP Unit 1, adding to the already trained knowledge, the differences which have occurred in the Unit 2 design. Using state-of-the-art computers and displays and qualified software, the virtual simulated panels could offer a viable alternative to classic hardware-based training. This approach allows quick training of the new procedures required by the new configuration of the re-designed operator panels in the main control room of Cernavoda NPP Unit 2. (authors)

BLOND, a building-level office environment dataset of typical electrical appliances

Science.gov (United States)

Kriechbaumer, Thomas; Jacobsen, Hans-Arno

2018-03-01

Energy metering has gained popularity as conventional meters are replaced by electronic smart meters that promise energy savings and higher comfort levels for occupants. Achieving these goals requires a deeper understanding of consumption patterns to reduce the energy footprint: load profile forecasting, power disaggregation, appliance identification, startup event detection, etc. Publicly available datasets are used to test, verify, and benchmark possible solutions to these problems. For this purpose, we present the BLOND dataset: continuous energy measurements of a typical office environment at high sampling rates with common appliances and load profiles. We provide voltage and current readings for aggregated circuits and matching fully-labeled ground truth data (individual appliance measurements). The dataset contains 53 appliances (16 classes) in a 3-phase power grid. BLOND-50 contains 213 days of measurements sampled at 50kSps (aggregate) and 6.4kSps (individual appliances). BLOND-250 consists of the same setup: 50 days, 250kSps (aggregate), 50kSps (individual appliances). These are the longest continuous measurements at such high sampling rates and fully-labeled ground truth we are aware of.

BLOND, a building-level office environment dataset of typical electrical appliances.

Science.gov (United States)

Kriechbaumer, Thomas; Jacobsen, Hans-Arno

2018-03-27

Energy metering has gained popularity as conventional meters are replaced by electronic smart meters that promise energy savings and higher comfort levels for occupants. Achieving these goals requires a deeper understanding of consumption patterns to reduce the energy footprint: load profile forecasting, power disaggregation, appliance identification, startup event detection, etc. Publicly available datasets are used to test, verify, and benchmark possible solutions to these problems. For this purpose, we present the BLOND dataset: continuous energy measurements of a typical office environment at high sampling rates with common appliances and load profiles. We provide voltage and current readings for aggregated circuits and matching fully-labeled ground truth data (individual appliance measurements). The dataset contains 53 appliances (16 classes) in a 3-phase power grid. BLOND-50 contains 213 days of measurements sampled at 50kSps (aggregate) and 6.4kSps (individual appliances). BLOND-250 consists of the same setup: 50 days, 250kSps (aggregate), 50kSps (individual appliances). These are the longest continuous measurements at such high sampling rates and fully-labeled ground truth we are aware of.

MathModelica - An Extensible Modeling and Simulation Environment with Integrated Graphics and Literate Programming

OpenAIRE

Fritzson, Peter; Gunnarsson, Johan; Jirstrand, Mats

2002-01-01

MathModelica is an integrated interactive development environment for advanced system modeling and simulation. The environment integrates Modelica-based modeling and simulation with graphic design, advanced scripting facilities, integration of program code, test cases, graphics, documentation, mathematical type setting, and symbolic formula manipulation provided via Mathematica. The user interface consists of a graphical Model Editor and Notebooks. The Model Editor is a graphical user interfa...

Human Performance in Simulated Reduced Gravity Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Cowley, Matthew; Harvill, Lauren; Rajulu, Sudhakar

2014-01-01

NASA is currently designing a new space suit capable of working in deep space and on Mars. Designing a suit is very difficult and often requires trade-offs between performance, cost, mass, and system complexity. Our current understanding of human performance in reduced gravity in a planetary environment (the moon or Mars) is limited to lunar observations, studies from the Apollo program, and recent suit tests conducted at JSC using reduced gravity simulators. This study will look at our most recent reduced gravity simulations performed on the new Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) compared to the C-9 reduced gravity plane. Methods: Subjects ambulated in reduced gravity analogs to obtain a baseline for human performance. Subjects were tested in lunar gravity (1.6 m/sq s) and Earth gravity (9.8 m/sq s) in shirt-sleeves. Subjects ambulated over ground at prescribed speeds on the ARGOS, but ambulated at a self-selected speed on the C-9 due to time limitations. Subjects on the ARGOS were given over 3 minutes to acclimate to the different conditions before data was collected. Nine healthy subjects were tested in the ARGOS (6 males, 3 females, 79.5 +/- 15.7 kg), while six subjects were tested on the C-9 (6 males, 78.8 +/- 11.2 kg). Data was collected with an optical motion capture system (Vicon, Oxford, UK) and was analyzed using customized analysis scripts in BodyBuilder (Vicon, Oxford, UK) and MATLAB (MathWorks, Natick, MA, USA). Results: In all offloaded conditions, variation between subjects increased compared to 1-g. Kinematics in the ARGOS at lunar gravity resembled earth gravity ambulation more closely than the C-9 ambulation. Toe-off occurred 10% earlier in both reduced gravity environments compared to earth gravity, shortening the stance phase. Likewise, ankle, knee, and hip angles remained consistently flexed and had reduced peaks compared to earth gravity. Ground reaction forces in lunar gravity (normalized to Earth body weight) were 0.4 +/- 0.2 on

Ecocitizen at the office

CERN Multimedia

Staff Association

2014-01-01

At the office, I do as I would at home At the office, just as at home, we need to stay warm, have light, be equipped (with office material, furniture). We thus need energy and raw materials. This consumption is not without consequences for our environment. How to reduce our consumption? In everyday life, we already have behaviours that allow us to save energy and resources, to sort our waste. At the office it is important to act in the same way as at home, as we spend a lot of time at our workplace. How to act more responsibly at the office, to reduce the environmental impact, and how to stay motivated? Computer, printer, copy machine… or coffee machine. There are quite a few electrical appliances which are indispensable in our office. Always turned on, or almost, they are also often inactive, and it is during these phases of inactivity that two thirds of their consumption occurs. The way one uses the computer is important in order to limit its consumption. Use the sleep mode with care. A c...

Smart and Sustainable Offices (SSO: Showcasing a holistic approach to realise the next generation offices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Cobaleda Cordero

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The Smart Sustainable Offices project (SSO is a product of years of research with large sets of data collected from more than 30 office buildings in Switzerland, Sweden, and Spain. Based on scientific evidence, the concept of SSO, initially conceived as a research plan to address the interdependencies between office users and their working environment in a European context, is now used as a qualitative and quantitative mixed method approach for office diagnosis and ideation. At the current stage, the SSO methodology aims to implement a new paradigm of user-oriented, lower carbon footprint and resilient office design solutions. The main strategy is articulated around the “office DNA” of every organisation, decoded as a compound of work patterns, operational and individual needs, and their potential to define design criteria. The practical application of SSO and its tentative findings exemplified through three pilot test office-demonstrators are described in this paper.

TACOP : A cognitive agent for a naval training simulation environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Doesburg, W.A. van; Heuvelink, A.; Broek, E.L. van den

2005-01-01

This paper describes how cognitive modeling can be exploited in the design of software agents that support naval training sessions. The architecture, specifications, and embedding of the cognitive agent in a simulation environment are described. Subsequently, the agent's functioning was evaluated in

Computer simulation of spacecraft/environment interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krupnikov, K.K.; Makletsov, A.A.; Mileev, V.N.; Novikov, L.S.; Sinolits, V.V.

1999-01-01

This report presents some examples of a computer simulation of spacecraft interaction with space environment. We analysed a set data on electron and ion fluxes measured in 1991-1994 on geostationary satellite GORIZONT-35. The influence of spacecraft eclipse and device eclipse by solar-cell panel on spacecraft charging was investigated. A simple method was developed for an estimation of spacecraft potentials in LEO. Effects of various particle flux impact and spacecraft orientation are discussed. A computer engineering model for a calculation of space radiation is presented. This model is used as a client/server model with WWW interface, including spacecraft model description and results representation based on the virtual reality markup language

Computer simulation of spacecraft/environment interaction

CERN Document Server

Krupnikov, K K; Mileev, V N; Novikov, L S; Sinolits, V V

1999-01-01

This report presents some examples of a computer simulation of spacecraft interaction with space environment. We analysed a set data on electron and ion fluxes measured in 1991-1994 on geostationary satellite GORIZONT-35. The influence of spacecraft eclipse and device eclipse by solar-cell panel on spacecraft charging was investigated. A simple method was developed for an estimation of spacecraft potentials in LEO. Effects of various particle flux impact and spacecraft orientation are discussed. A computer engineering model for a calculation of space radiation is presented. This model is used as a client/server model with WWW interface, including spacecraft model description and results representation based on the virtual reality markup language.

Conversion of a mainframe simulation for maintenance performance to a PC environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gertman, D.I.

1991-01-01

A computer-based simulation capable of generating human error probabilities (HEPs) for maintenance activities is presented. The HEPs are suitable for use in probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs) and are an important source of information for data management systems such as NUCLARR- the Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability. (1) The basic computer model MAPPS--the maintenance personnel performance simulation has been developed and validated by the US NRC in order to improve maintenance practices and procedures at nuclear power plants. This model validated previously, has now been implemented and improved, in a PC environment, and renamed MicroMAPPS. The model is stochastically based, able to simulate the performance of 2 to 15 person crews for a variety of maintenance conditions. These conditions include aspects of crew actions as potentially influenced by the task, the environment, or characteristics of the personnel involved. The nature of the software code makes it particularly appropriate for determining changes in HEP rates due to fluctuations in important task, environment,. or personnel parameters. The presentation presents a brief review of the mainframe version of the code and presents a summarization of the enhancements which dramatically change the nature of the human computer interaction

High fidelity medical simulation in the difficult environment of a helicopter: feasibility, self-efficacy and cost

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Holland Carolyn

2006-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background This study assessed the feasibility, self-efficacy and cost of providing a high fidelity medical simulation experience in the difficult environment of an air ambulance helicopter. Methods Seven of 12 EM residents in their first postgraduate year participated in an EMS flight simulation as the flight physician. The simulation used the Laerdal SimMan™ to present a cardiac and a trauma case in an EMS helicopter while running at flight idle. Before and after the simulation, subjects completed visual analog scales and a semi-structured interview to measure their self-efficacy, i.e. comfort with their ability to treat patients in the helicopter, and recognition of obstacles to care in the helicopter environment. After all 12 residents had completed their first non-simulated flight as the flight physician; they were surveyed about self-assessed comfort and perceived value of the simulation. Continuous data were compared between pre- and post-simulation using a paired samples t-test, and between residents participating in the simulation and those who did not using an independent samples t-test. Categorical data were compared using Fisher's exact test. Cost data for the simulation experience were estimated by the investigators. Results The simulations functioned correctly 5 out of 7 times; suggesting some refinement is necessary. Cost data indicated a monetary cost of $440 and a time cost of 22 hours of skilled instructor time. The simulation and non-simulation groups were similar in their demographics and pre-hospital experiences. The simulation did not improve residents' self-assessed comfort prior to their first flight (p > 0.234, but did improve understanding of the obstacles to patient care in the helicopter (p = 0.029. Every resident undertaking the simulation agreed it was educational and it should be included in their training. Qualitative data suggested residents would benefit from high fidelity simulation in other

ESSE: Engineering Super Simulation Emulation for Virtual Reality Systems Environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suh, Kune Y.; Yeon, Choul W.

2008-01-01

The trademark 4 + D Technology TM based Engineering Super Simulation Emulation (ESSE) is introduced. ESSE resorting to three-dimensional (3D) Virtual Reality (VR) technology pledges to provide with an interactive real-time motion, sound and tactile and other forms of feedback in the man machine systems environment. In particular, the 3D Virtual Engineering Neo cybernetic Unit Soft Power (VENUS) adds a physics engine to the VR platform so as to materialize a physical atmosphere. A close cooperation system and prompt information share are crucial, thereby increasing the necessity of centralized information system and electronic cooperation system. VENUS is further deemed to contribute towards public acceptance of nuclear power in general, and safety in particular. For instance, visualization of nuclear systems can familiarize the public in answering their questions and alleviating misunderstandings on nuclear power plants answering their questions and alleviating misunderstandings on nuclear power plants (NPPs) in general, and performance, security and safety in particular. An in-house flagship project Systemic Three-dimensional Engine Platform Prototype Engineering (STEPPE) endeavors to develop the Systemic Three-dimensional Engine Platform (STEP) for a variety of VR applications. STEP is home to a level system providing the whole visible scene of virtual engineering of man machine system environment. The system is linked with video monitoring that provides a 3D Computer Graphics (CG) visualization of major events. The database linked system provides easy access to relevant blueprints. The character system enables the operators easy access to visualization of major events. The database linked system provides easy access to relevant blueprints. The character system enables the operators to access the virtual systems by using their virtual characters. Virtually Engineered NPP Informative systems by using their virtual characters. Virtually Engineered NPP Informative

Airborne particles in indoor environment of homes, schools, offices and aged care facilities: The main routes of exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Morawska, L; Ayoko, G A; Bae, G N; Buonanno, G; Chao, C Y H; Clifford, S; Fu, S C; Hänninen, O; He, C; Isaxon, C; Mazaheri, M; Salthammer, T; Waring, M S; Wierzbicka, A

2017-11-01

It has been shown that the exposure to airborne particulate matter is one of the most significant environmental risks people face. Since indoor environment is where people spend the majority of time, in order to protect against this risk, the origin of the particles needs to be understood: do they come from indoor, outdoor sources or both? Further, this question needs to be answered separately for each of the PM mass/number size fractions, as they originate from different sources. Numerous studies have been conducted for specific indoor environments or under specific setting. Here our aim was to go beyond the specifics of individual studies, and to explore, based on pooled data from the literature, whether there are generalizable trends in routes of exposure at homes, schools and day cares, offices and aged care facilities. To do this, we quantified the overall 24h and occupancy weighted means of PM 10 , PM 2.5 and PN - particle number concentration. Based on this, we developed a summary of the indoor versus outdoor origin of indoor particles and compared the means to the WHO guidelines (for PM 10 and PM 2.5 ) and to the typical levels reported for urban environments (PN). We showed that the main origins of particle metrics differ from one type of indoor environment to another. For homes, outdoor air is the main origin of PM 10 and PM 2.5 but PN originate from indoor sources; for schools and day cares, outdoor air is the source of PN while PM 10 and PM 2.5 have indoor sources; and for offices, outdoor air is the source of all three particle size fractions. While each individual building is different, leading to differences in exposure and ideally necessitating its own assessment (which is very rarely done), our findings point to the existence of generalizable trends for the main types of indoor environments where people spend time, and therefore to the type of prevention measures which need to be considered in general for these environments. Copyright © 2017 The

An Open-Source Simulation Environment for Model-Based Engineering, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The proposed work is a new spacecraft simulation environment for model-based engineering of flight algorithms and software. The goal is to provide a much faster way...

A Versatile Simulation Environment of FTC Architectures for Large Transport Aircraft

OpenAIRE

Ossmann, Daniel; Varga, Andreas; Simon, Hecker

2010-01-01

We present a simulation environment with 3-D stereo visualization facilities destined for an easy setup and versatile assessment of fault detection and diagnosis based fault tolerant control systems. This environment has been primarily developed as a technology demonstrator of advanced reconfigurable flight control systems and is based on a realistic six degree of freedom flexible aircraft model. The aircraft control system architecture includes a flexible fault detection and diagnosis syste...

Multiple wavelength spectral system simulating background light noise environment in satellite laser communications

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Wei; Sun, Jianfeng; Hou, Peipei; Xu, Qian; Xi, Yueli; Zhou, Yu; Zhu, Funan; Liu, Liren

2017-08-01

Performance of satellite laser communications between GEO and LEO satellites can be influenced by background light noise appeared in the field of view due to sunlight or planets and some comets. Such influences should be studied on the ground testing platform before the space application. In this paper, we introduce a simulator that can simulate the real case of background light noise in space environment during the data talking via laser beam between two lonely satellites. This simulator can not only simulate the effect of multi-wavelength spectrum, but also the effects of adjustable angles of field-of-view, large range of adjustable optical power and adjustable deflection speeds of light noise in space environment. We integrate these functions into a device with small and compact size for easily mobile use. Software control function is also achieved via personal computer to adjust these functions arbitrarily. Keywords:

Temperature field simulation of complex structures in fire environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Weifen; Hao Zhiming; Li Minghai

2010-01-01

In this paper, the typical model of the system of dangerous goods - steel - wood composite structure including components of explosives is used as the research object. Using MARC program, the temperature field of the structure in the fire environment is simulated. Radiation, conduction and convection heat transfer within the gap of the structure are taken into account, contact heat transfer is also considered. The phenomenon of thermal decomposition of wood in high temperature is deal with by equivalent method. The results show that the temperature of the explosives is not high in the fire environment. The timber inside the composite structure has played a very good insulation effect of explosives.

The physical environment and occupant thermal perceptions in office buildings. An evaluation of sampled data from five European countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stoops, J L [Chalmers Univ. of Tech., Goeteborg (Sweden). Dept. of Building Services Engineering

2002-02-01

The results from a large field study of thermal comfort in European office buildings are reported. Measurements of physical environmental conditions and occupant perceptions were collected over sixteen months from twenty-six different office buildings located in France, Greece, Portugal, Sweden and the UK. This thesis focuses on the physical environmental measurements and occupant thermal perceptions; however, additional variables with connections to environmental satisfaction are also examined. An overview of human comfort theory is presented to help place this thesis in appropriate context. The overview presents thermal comfort issues within a broad framework of human response to the environment including physical, physiological. behavioural, psychological and other variables. A more narrowly focused overview of current thermal comfort research is also included. The work attempts to show relationships and produce useful information from the data set using graphical methods, especially lowess, a locally weighted regression based scatter plot smoothing technique. The objective of using this approach is to literally show the relationships visually. This approach allows the data set itself to illustrate the actual thermal conditions in European office buildings and the occupant perceptions of those conditions along with illustrating relationships. The data is examined in some detail with key relationships identified and explored. Significant differences between countries, both for the physical conditions and the perceptions of those conditions are identified. In addition, the variation over the course of the year for each country is explored. The relationship of daily average outdoor temperatures to indoor temperatures and indoor temperature perceptions is found to be critically important. The relationships, which appear to drive perceptions of thermal comfort, occur in complex ways, making simple, all encompassing explanations impossible. The nature and size of the

Intelligent manufacturing through participation : a participative simulation environment for integral manufacturing enterprise renewal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eijnatten, F.M. van

2002-01-01

This book deals with a 'Participative Simulation environment for Intelligent Manufacturing' (PSIM). PSIM is a software environment for use in assembly operations and it is developed and pilot-demonstrated in five companies: Volvo (Sweden), Finland Post, Fiat (Italy), Yamatake (Japan), Ford (USA).

A Simulation Study on the Performance of Radiant Ceilings Combined with Free-Hanging Horizontal Sound Absorbers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kazanci, Ongun Berk; Domínguez, L. Marcos; Rage, Niels

2018-01-01

using TABS, most building simulation models assume an uncovered ceiling; however, this might not be the case in practice, due to the use of free-hanging horizontal (or vertical) sound absorbers for the control of room acoustic conditions. The use of sound absorbers will decrease the performance...... of radiant ceiling cooling systems. Therefore, the quantification of the effects during the design phase is important for predicting the resulting thermal indoor environment and for system dimensioning. In this study, a two-person office room equipped with TABS was simulated using a commercially available...... simulation software with a recently developed plug-in that allows simulating the effects of horizontal sound absorbers on the performance of TABS and on the thermal indoor environment. The change in thermal indoor environment and in performance of TABS were quantified, and the simulation results were...

Office-based anaesthesia

African Journals Online (AJOL)

infection, and consistency in nursing personnel. In the USA 17 -. 24% of all elective ambulatory surgery is ... knowledge base or personality to deal with the OBA environment. Compared with hospitals, office-based facilities currently ... disease or major cardiovascular risk factors). Intravenous access via a flexible cannula is.

The Potential of Simulated Environments in Teacher Education: Current and Future Possibilities

Science.gov (United States)

Dieker, Lisa A.; Rodriguez, Jacqueline A.; Lignugaris/Kraft, Benjamin; Hynes, Michael C.; Hughes, Charles E.

2014-01-01

The future of virtual environments is evident in many fields but is just emerging in the field of teacher education. In this article, the authors provide a summary of the evolution of simulation in the field of teacher education and three factors that need to be considered as these environments further develop. The authors provide a specific…

Novel 3D/VR interactive environment for MD simulations, visualization and analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Doblack, Benjamin N; Allis, Tim; Dávila, Lilian P

2014-12-18

The increasing development of computing (hardware and software) in the last decades has impacted scientific research in many fields including materials science, biology, chemistry and physics among many others. A new computational system for the accurate and fast simulation and 3D/VR visualization of nanostructures is presented here, using the open-source molecular dynamics (MD) computer program LAMMPS. This alternative computational method uses modern graphics processors, NVIDIA CUDA technology and specialized scientific codes to overcome processing speed barriers common to traditional computing methods. In conjunction with a virtual reality system used to model materials, this enhancement allows the addition of accelerated MD simulation capability. The motivation is to provide a novel research environment which simultaneously allows visualization, simulation, modeling and analysis. The research goal is to investigate the structure and properties of inorganic nanostructures (e.g., silica glass nanosprings) under different conditions using this innovative computational system. The work presented outlines a description of the 3D/VR Visualization System and basic components, an overview of important considerations such as the physical environment, details on the setup and use of the novel system, a general procedure for the accelerated MD enhancement, technical information, and relevant remarks. The impact of this work is the creation of a unique computational system combining nanoscale materials simulation, visualization and interactivity in a virtual environment, which is both a research and teaching instrument at UC Merced.

Sedentary Behavior of White Collar Office Workers-Review

OpenAIRE

Hopkin, T. J.; Sarkar, Swarjit

2016-01-01

Aim The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the physical activity time (PAT) of white collar office workers in order to assess the levels of sedentary activity in an office environment. Analysing the office workers PAT will not only allow an insight into how an office based job could impact a person’s overall health and wellness status, but will also allow for the development of future office based inter ventions aimed at increasing the overall physical activity among white collar of...

pCloud: A Cloud-based Power Market Simulation Environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rudkevich, Aleksandr; Goldis, Evgeniy

2012-12-02

This research conducted by the Newton Energy Group, LLC (NEG) is dedicated to the development of pCloud: a Cloud-based Power Market Simulation Environment. pCloud is offering power industry stakeholders the capability to model electricity markets and is organized around the Software as a Service (SaaS) concept -- a software application delivery model in which software is centrally hosted and provided to many users via the internet. During the Phase I of this project NEG developed a prototype design for pCloud as a SaaS-based commercial service offering, system architecture supporting that design, ensured feasibility of key architecture's elements, formed technological partnerships and negotiated commercial agreements with partners, conducted market research and other related activities and secured funding for continue development of pCloud between the end of Phase I and beginning of Phase II, if awarded. Based on the results of Phase I activities, NEG has established that the development of a cloud-based power market simulation environment within the Windows Azure platform is technologically feasible, can be accomplished within the budget and timeframe available through the Phase II SBIR award with additional external funding. NEG believes that pCloud has the potential to become a game-changing technology for the modeling and analysis of electricity markets. This potential is due to the following critical advantages of pCloud over its competition: - Standardized access to advanced and proven power market simulators offered by third parties. - Automated parallelization of simulations and dynamic provisioning of computing resources on the cloud. This combination of automation and scalability dramatically reduces turn-around time while offering the capability to increase the number of analyzed scenarios by a factor of 10, 100 or even 1000. - Access to ready-to-use data and to cloud-based resources leading to a reduction in software, hardware, and IT costs

Warm ambient temperature decreases food intake in a simulated office setting: A pilot randomized controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Molly eBernhard

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Background: We hypothesized that exposure to temperatures above the thermoneutral zone would decrease food intake in young adults in a sedentary office environment over a 2-hour period. Methods: Participants wearing standardized clothing were randomized to perform routine office work in either within the thermoneutral zone, considered control (19-20°C, or above the thermoneutral zone considered warmer (26-27°C treatment in parallel-group design (n=11 and 9, respectively. Thermal images of the inner canthus of their eye and middle finger nail bed, representing proxies of core and peripheral temperatures, respectively, were taken at baseline, 1st, and 2nd hour during this lunchtime study. Relative heat dissipation was estimated as peripheral temperature. General linear models were conducted to examine the effects of thermal treatment the calories intake and potential mediation. Researchers conducted the trial registered as NCT02386891 at Clinicaltrials.gov during April- May 2014. Results: During the 2 hours stay in different ambient temperatures, the participants in the control conditions ate 99.5 kcal more than those in the warmer conditions; however, the difference was not statistically significant. Female participants ate about 350 kcal less than the male participants (P=0.024 in both groups and there was no significant association between calories intake and participant’s BMI. After controlling for thermal treatment, gender and BMI, the participant’s peripheral temperature was significantly associated with calories intake (p=0.002, suggesting a mediating effect. Specifically, for every 1°C increase in peripheral temperature indicating reduced heat dissipation, participants ate 85.9 kcal less food. Conclusions: This pilot study provided preliminary evidence of effects of thermal environment on food intake and the decreased food intake in the experimental (warmer environment is potentially mediated through thermoregulatory mechanisms.

Warm Ambient Temperature Decreases Food Intake in a Simulated Office Setting: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernhard, Molly C; Li, Peng; Allison, David B; Gohlke, Julia M

2015-01-01

We hypothesized that exposure to temperatures above the thermoneutral zone (TNZ) would decrease food intake in young adults in a sedentary office environment over a 2-h period. Participants wearing standardized clothing were randomized to perform routine office work in the TNZ, considered control (19-20°C), or above the TNZ considered warmer (26-27°C) using a parallel-group design (n = 11 and 9, respectively). Thermal images of the inner canthus of their eye and middle finger nail bed, representing proxies of core and peripheral temperatures, respectively, were taken at baseline, first, and second hour during this lunchtime study. Heat dissipation was estimated using peripheral temperature. General linear models were built to examine the effects of thermal treatment on caloric intake and potential mediation by heat dissipation. Researchers conducted the trial registered as NCT02386891 at Clinicaltrials.gov during April to May 2014. During the 2-h stay in different ambient temperatures, the participants in the control conditions ate 99.5 kcal more than those in the warmer conditions; however, the difference was not statistically significant. Female participants ate about 350 kcal less than the male participants (p = 0.024) in both groups and there was no significant association between caloric intake and participant's body mass index (BMI). After controlling for thermal treatment, gender and BMI, the participant's peripheral temperature was significantly associated with caloric intake (p = 0.002), suggesting a mediating effect. Specifically, for every 1°C increase in peripheral temperature suggesting increased heat dissipation, participants ate 85.9 kcal less food. This pilot study provided preliminary evidence of effects of thermal environment on food intake. It suggests that decreased food intake in the experimental (warmer) environment is potentially mediated through thermoregulatory mechanisms.

TACOP: A Cognitive Agent for a Naval Training Simulation Environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Doesburg, W.A.; Verbeeck, K.; Heuvelink, A.; Tuyls, K.; Nowé, A.; van den Broek, Egon; Manderick, B.; Kuijpers, B.

2005-01-01

The full version of this paper appeared in: Doesburg, W. A. van, Heuvelink, A., and Broek, E. L. van den (2005). TACOP: A cognitive agent for a naval training simulation environment. In M. Pechoucek, D. Steiner, and S. Thompson (Eds.), Proceedings of the Industry Track of the Fourth International

Optical intensity scintillation in the simulated atmospherical environment

Science.gov (United States)

Hajek, Lukas; Latal, Jan; Vanderka, Ales; Vitasek, Jan; Bojko, Marian; Bednarek, Lukas; Vasinek, Vladimir

2016-09-01

There are several parameters of the atmospheric environment which have an effect on the optical wireless connection. Effects like fog, snow or rain are ones of the effects which appears tendentiously and which are bound by season, geographic location, etc. One of the effects that appear with various intensity for the whole time is airflow. The airflow changes the local refractive index of the air and areas with lower or higher refractive index form. The light going through these areas refracts and due to the optical intensity scintillates on the detector of the receiver. The airflow forms on the basis of two effects in the atmosphere. The first is wind cut and flowing over barriers. The other is thermal flow when warm air rises to the higher layers of the atmosphere. The heart of this article is creation such an environment that will form airflow and the refractive index will scintillate. For the experiment, we used special laboratory box with high-speed ventilators and heating units to simulate atmospheric turbulence. We monitor the impact of ventilator arrangement and air temperature on the scintillation of the gas laser with wavelength 633 nm/15 mW. In the experiment, there is watched the difference in behavior between real measurement and flow simulation with the same peripheral conditions of the airflow in the area of 500 x 500 cm.

Simulating Nonmodel-Fitting Responses in a CAT Environment. ACT Research Report Series 98-10.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Qing; Nering, Michael L.

This study developed a model to simulate nonmodel-fitting responses in a computerized adaptive testing (CAT) environment, and to examine the effectiveness of the model. The underlying idea was to simulate examinees' test behaviors realistically. This study simulated a situation in which examinees are exposed to or are coached on test items before…

A novel human body exergy consumption formula to determine indoor thermal conditions for optimal human performance in office buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wu, Xiaozhou; Zhao, Jianing; Olesen, Bjarne W.

2013-01-01

In this paper, a novel human body exergy consumption formula was derived strictly according to Gagge's two-node thermal transfer model. The human body exergy consumption calculated by the formula was compared with values calculated using Shukuya's formula for a typical office environment....... The results show that human body exergy consumption calculated by either of these formulas reaches a minimum under the same thermal condition. It is shown that this is in accordance with expectation. The relation between human performance and human body exergy consumption was studied by analyzing the data...... obtained in simulated office environments in winter. The results show that human body exergy consumption and human performance are inversely as operative temperature changes from 17 to 28°C or human thermal sensation changes from −1.0 to +1.4, and that optimum thermal comfort cannot be expected to lead...

A web-based application to simulate alternatives for sustainable forest management: SIMANFOR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bravo, F.; Rodriguez, F.; Ordonez, C.

2012-11-01

Growth and yield models at different scales are useful tools for forest stake holders. Adequate simulation of forest stand conditions after different silviculture scenarios allows stake holders to adopt appropriate actions to maintain forest integrity while forest products and services are obtained to benefit society as a whole. SIMANFOR is a platform to simulate sustainable forest management alternatives, integrating different modules to manage forest inventories, simulate and project stand conditions and maintain systems security and integrity. SIMANFOR output is compatible with an Office environment (Microsoft or Open), allowing users to exchange data and files between SIMANFOR and their own software. New developments are being planned under a web 2.0 environment to take advantage of user input to improve SIMANFOR in the future. (Author) 9 refs.

Scientific Visualization and Simulation for Multi-dimensional Marine Environment Data

Science.gov (United States)

Su, T.; Liu, H.; Wang, W.; Song, Z.; Jia, Z.

2017-12-01

As higher attention on the ocean and rapid development of marine detection, there are increasingly demands for realistic simulation and interactive visualization of marine environment in real time. Based on advanced technology such as GPU rendering, CUDA parallel computing and rapid grid oriented strategy, a series of efficient and high-quality visualization methods, which can deal with large-scale and multi-dimensional marine data in different environmental circumstances, has been proposed in this paper. Firstly, a high-quality seawater simulation is realized by FFT algorithm, bump mapping and texture animation technology. Secondly, large-scale multi-dimensional marine hydrological environmental data is virtualized by 3d interactive technologies and volume rendering techniques. Thirdly, seabed terrain data is simulated with improved Delaunay algorithm, surface reconstruction algorithm, dynamic LOD algorithm and GPU programming techniques. Fourthly, seamless modelling in real time for both ocean and land based on digital globe is achieved by the WebGL technique to meet the requirement of web-based application. The experiments suggest that these methods can not only have a satisfying marine environment simulation effect, but also meet the rendering requirements of global multi-dimension marine data. Additionally, a simulation system for underwater oil spill is established by OSG 3D-rendering engine. It is integrated with the marine visualization method mentioned above, which shows movement processes, physical parameters, current velocity and direction for different types of deep water oil spill particle (oil spill particles, hydrates particles, gas particles, etc.) dynamically and simultaneously in multi-dimension. With such application, valuable reference and decision-making information can be provided for understanding the progress of oil spill in deep water, which is helpful for ocean disaster forecasting, warning and emergency response.

Simulated learning environment experience in nursing students for paediatric practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendoza-Maldonado, Yessy; Barría-Pailaquilén, René Mauricio

The training of health professionals requires the acquisition of clinical skills in a safe and efficient manner, which is facilitated by a simulated learning environment (SLE). It is also an efficient alternative when there are limitations for clinical practice in certain areas. This paper shows the work undertaken in a Chilean university in implementing paediatric practice using SLE. Over eight days, the care experience of a hospitalized infant was studied applying the nursing process. The participation of a paediatrician, resident physician, nursing technician, and simulated user was included in addition to the use of a simulation mannequin and equipment. Simulation of care was integral and covered interaction with the child and family and was developed in groups of six students by a teacher. The different phases of the simulation methodology were developed from a pedagogical point of view. The possibility of implementing paediatric clinical practice in an efficient and safe way was confirmed. The experience in SLE was highly valued by the students, allowing them to develop different skills and abilities required for paediatric nursing through simulation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Low cycle corrosion fatigue properties of F316Ti in simulated LWR primary environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Xuelian; Ding Yaping; Katada, Y.; Sato, S.

1998-11-01

Environment effect on fatigue performance of materials used for Pressurized boundary, including fatigue life and crack growth rate, are of importance to nuclear safety. To predict the fatigue life of nuclear materials and to improve the design of nuclear materials, it is necessary to investigated the material fatigue performances in corrosive environment and to get the fatigue data under its environment to be used in. Low cycle corrosion fatigue (CF) performance investigation of domestic F316Ti in simulated BWR and PWR primary environment was carried out. The result shows that the high temperature water environment is one of the most important factors on CF properties. For the same material, the low cycle fatigue life in high temperature air is longer than that in simulated BWR and PWR primary environments. In high temperature water, domestic F316Ti has almost the same low cycle corrosion fatigue performance as F316 (made in Japan). All of the fatigue data are scattered within ASME best-fit curve and ASME design fatigue curve. In high strain range, there is no significant difference of the CF performance for F316Ti in both of BWR and PWR primary environments. With the decrease of strain amplitude, the difference appears gradually. The data is located at the short life side of the fatigue data in simulated BWR primary environment. Titanium is distributed uniformly in F316Ti manufactured in Fushun Steel Factory. Ni, Cr, Mo in this material are located at the high side of the alloy chemical composition range. So, F316Ti has a better CF property in high temperature water

Optimal control of building storage systems using both ice storage and thermal mass – Part I: Simulation environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajiah, Ali; Krarti, Moncef

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► A simulation environment is described to account for both passive and active thermal energy storage (TES) systems. ► Laboratory testing results have been used to validate the predictions from the simulation environment. ► Optimal control strategies for TES systems have been developed as part of the simulation environment. - Abstract: This paper presents a simulation environment that can evaluate the benefits of using simultaneously building thermal capacitance and ice storage system to reduce total operating costs including energy and demand charges while maintaining adequate occupant comfort conditions within commercial buildings. The building thermal storage is controlled through pre-cooling strategies by setting space indoor air temperatures. The ice storage system is controlled by charging the ice tank and operating the chiller during low electrical charge periods and melting the ice during on-peak periods. Optimal controls for both building thermal storage and ice storage are developed to minimize energy charges, demand charges, or combined energy and demand charges. The results obtained from the simulation environment are validated using laboratory testing for an optimal controller.

Ergonomic design for dental offices.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahearn, David J; Sanders, Martha J; Turcotte, Claudia

2010-01-01

The increasing complexity of the dental office environment influences productivity and workflow for dental clinicians. Advances in technology, and with it the range of products needed to provide services, have led to sprawl in operatory setups and the potential for awkward postures for dental clinicians during the delivery of oral health services. Although ergonomics often addresses the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders for specific populations of workers, concepts of workflow and productivity are integral to improved practice in work environments. This article provides suggestions for improving workflow and productivity for dental clinicians. The article applies ergonomic principles to dental practice issues such as equipment and supply management, office design, and workflow management. Implications for improved ergonomic processes and future research are explored.

Comparison of radiant and convective cooling of office room: effect of workstation layout

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bolashikov, Zhecho Dimitrov; Melikov, Arsen Krikor; Rezgals, Lauris

2014-01-01

and compared. The room was furnished with two workstations, two laptops and two thermal manikins resembling occupants. Two heat load levels, design (65 W/m2) and usual (39 W/m2), were generated by adding heat from warm panels simulating solar radiation. Two set-ups were studied: occupants sitting......The impact of heat source location (room layout) on the thermal environment generated in a double office room with four cooling ventilation systems - overhead ventilation, chilled ceiling with overhead ventilation, active chilled beam and active chilled beam with radiant panels was measured...

Nuclear security officer training

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harrington, W.F.

1981-01-01

Training has become complex and precise in today's world of critical review and responsibility. Entrusted to a security officer is the success or demise of large business. In more critical environments the security officer is entrusted with the monitoring and protection of life sensitive systems and devices. The awareness of this high visibility training requirement has been addressed by a limited few. Those involved in the nuclear power industry through dedication and commitment to the American public have without a doubt become leading pioneers in demanding training excellence

Simulation of worst-case operating conditions for integrated circuits operating in a total dose environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhuva, B.L.

1987-01-01

Degradations in the circuit performance created by the radiation exposure of integrated circuits are so unique and abnormal that thorough simulation and testing of VLSI circuits is almost impossible, and new ways to estimate the operating performance in a radiation environment must be developed. The principal goal of this work was the development of simulation techniques for radiation effects on semiconductor devices. The mixed-mode simulation approach proved to be the most promising. The switch-level approach is used to identify the failure mechanisms and critical subcircuits responsible for operational failure along with worst-case operating conditions during and after irradiation. For precise simulations of critical subcircuits, SPICE is used. The identification of failure mechanisms enables the circuit designer to improve the circuit's performance and failure-exposure level. Identification of worst-case operating conditions during and after irradiation reduces the complexity of testing VLSI circuits for radiation environments. The results of test circuits for failure simulations using a conventional simulator and the new simulator showed significant time savings using the new simulator. The savings in simulation time proved to be circuit topology-dependent. However, for large circuits, the simulation time proved to be orders of magnitude smaller than simulation time for conventional simulators

Driving color management into the office

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, Todd

2007-01-01

In much the same way that the automobile industry develops new technologies in racing cars and then brings them to a broader market for commercial and consumer vehicles, CIE Division 8 is trying to spread color management from the graphic arts market into the broader office and home markets. In both areas, the professional environment is characterized by highly motivated, highly trained practitioners who see their activity as an end in itself and have access to expensive technology, state of the art measurement and calibration equipment, and an environment that, if not as sedate as a research laboratory, is controlled and well-understood. In contrast, the broader market features users who have relatively little training at the imaging tasks and see them as a means to an end, which is where their real attention is focused. These users have mass-market equipment and little or no equipment for measurement and calibration. They use their tools (cars or imaging equipment) in a variety of environments under highly unpredictable conditions. The challenge to the automobile and imaging engineering communities is to design practical solutions to work in these real world environments that are less demanding in terms of strict performance, but more demanding in terms of flexibility and robustness. In the graphic arts, we have standards that tell us how to perform comparisons between printed images (hardcopy) and images displayed on a screen (softcopy). The users are told to use sequential binocular comparisons using memory matching, where they first adapt completely to one viewing condition, study one image, and then adapt to the other viewing condition and compare the second image against their memory of the first. This provides a nicely controlled environment where the observer's state of adaptation is easy to calculate. Unfortunately, in the office and home markets, users insist on comparing the softcopy and hardcopy side by side, and rapidly switching their gaze between

The atomic simulation environment-a Python library for working with atoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Hjorth Larsen, Ask; Jørgen Mortensen, Jens; Blomqvist, Jakob; Castelli, Ivano E; Christensen, Rune; Dułak, Marcin; Friis, Jesper; Groves, Michael N; Hammer, Bjørk; Hargus, Cory; Hermes, Eric D; Jennings, Paul C; Bjerre Jensen, Peter; Kermode, James; Kitchin, John R; Leonhard Kolsbjerg, Esben; Kubal, Joseph; Kaasbjerg, Kristen; Lysgaard, Steen; Bergmann Maronsson, Jón; Maxson, Tristan; Olsen, Thomas; Pastewka, Lars; Peterson, Andrew; Rostgaard, Carsten; Schiøtz, Jakob; Schütt, Ole; Strange, Mikkel; Thygesen, Kristian S; Vegge, Tejs; Vilhelmsen, Lasse; Walter, Michael; Zeng, Zhenhua; Jacobsen, Karsten W

2017-07-12

The atomic simulation environment (ASE) is a software package written in the Python programming language with the aim of setting up, steering, and analyzing atomistic simulations. In ASE, tasks are fully scripted in Python. The powerful syntax of Python combined with the NumPy array library make it possible to perform very complex simulation tasks. For example, a sequence of calculations may be performed with the use of a simple 'for-loop' construction. Calculations of energy, forces, stresses and other quantities are performed through interfaces to many external electronic structure codes or force fields using a uniform interface. On top of this calculator interface, ASE provides modules for performing many standard simulation tasks such as structure optimization, molecular dynamics, handling of constraints and performing nudged elastic band calculations.

Simulation-based support for integrated design of new low-energy office buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Steffen

. The method uses the energy frame concept to express the constraints of the optimisation problem, which is then solved by minimising the costs of conserving energy in all the individual energy-saving measures. A case example illustrates how the method enables designers to establish a qualified estimate...... a method for making informed decisions in the early stages of building design to fulfil performance requirements with regard to energy consumption and indoor environment. The method is operationalised in a program that utilises a simple simulation program to make performance predictions of user......-defined parameter variations. The program then presents the output in a way that enables designers to make informed decisions. The method and the program reduce the need for design iterations, reducing time consumption and construction costs, to obtain the intended energy performance and indoor environment. Paper...

Distribution and Supply Chain Management: Educating the Army Officer

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Solseth, Mark E

2005-01-01

... and distribution management environment. It analyzes how officers should attain these skills using the three pillars of leader development in Department of the Army Pamphlet 600-3, "Commissioned Officer Development and Career Management...

Learner-Centered Instruction (LCI): Volume IV, The Simulated Maintenance Task Environment (SMTE): A Job Specific Simulator.

Science.gov (United States)

Rifkin, Kenneth I.; And Others

The purpose of the simulated maintenance task environment is to provide a means for training and job performance testing of the flight line weapon control systems mechanic/technician for the F-111A aircraft. It provides practice in flight line equipment checkout, troubleshooting, and removal and replacement of line replaceable units in the…

Simulating Radionuclide Migrations of Low-level Wastes in Nearshore Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, C. C.; Li, M. H.; Chen, J. S.; Yeh, G. T.

2016-12-01

Tunnel disposal into nearshore mountains was tentatively selected as one of final disposal sites for low-level wastes in Taiwan. Safety assessment on radionuclide migrations in far-filed may involve geosphere processes under coastal environments and into nearshore ocean. In this study the 3-D HYDROFEOCHE5.6 numerical model was used to perform simulations of groundwater flow and radionuclide transport with decay chains. Domain of interest on the surface includes nearby watersheds delineated by digital elevation models and nearshore seabed. As deep as 800 m below the surface and 400 m below sea bed were considered for simulations. The disposal site was located at 200m below the surface. Release rates of radionuclides from near-field was estimated by analytical solutions of radionuclide diffusion with decay out of engineered barriers. Far-field safety assessments were performed starting from the release of radionuclides out of engineered barriers to a time scale of 10,000 years. Sensitivity analyses of geosphere and transport parameters were performed to improve our understanding of safety on final disposal of low-level waste in nearshore environments.

Electrophysiological measurement of interest during walking in a simulated environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Takeda, Yuji; Okuma, Takashi; Kimura, Motohiro; Kurata, Takeshi; Takenaka, Takeshi; Iwaki, Sunao

2014-09-01

A reliable neuroscientific technique for objectively estimating the degree of interest in a real environment is currently required in the research fields of neuroergonomics and neuroeconomics. Toward the development of such a technique, the present study explored electrophysiological measures that reflect an observer's interest in a nearly-real visual environment. Participants were asked to walk through a simulated shopping mall and the attractiveness of the shopping mall was manipulated by opening and closing the shutters of stores. During the walking task, participants were exposed to task-irrelevant auditory probes (two-stimulus oddball sequence). The results showed a smaller P2/early P3a component of task-irrelevant auditory event-related potentials and a larger lambda response of eye-fixation-related potentials in an interesting environment (i.e., open-shutter condition) than in a boring environment (i.e., closed-shutter condition); these findings can be reasonably explained by supposing that participants allocated more attentional resources to visual information in an interesting environment than in a boring environment, and thus residual attentional resources that could be allocated to task-irrelevant auditory probes were reduced. The P2/early P3a component and the lambda response may be useful measures of interest in a real visual environment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Corporate environment protection as a legal problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kloepfer, M.

1993-01-01

It is discussed what legal instruments companies have for integrating environment protection into their corporate policy: Industrial self-monitoring; the environmental health officer as an instrument of corporate environment protection (environmental health officer, radiation protection officer); obligations to disclose information on corporate organisation pursuant to Article 52 a of the Federal Emmission Control Act; corporate environment protection as a general obligation of the operator. Possible ways of strengthening corporate environment protection are considered de lege ferende, e.g. the additional instruments of corporate self-monitoring laid down in the General Part of the Environmental Code, audits on environment protection, corporate environment protection through quality assurance systems. (orig.) [de

Simulation Environment Based on the Universal Verification Methodology

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(SzGeCERN)697338

2017-01-01

Universal Verification Methodology (UVM) is a standardized approach of verifying integrated circuit designs, targeting a Coverage-Driven Verification (CDV). It combines automatic test generation, self-checking testbenches, and coverage metrics to indicate progress in the design verification. The flow of the CDV differs from the traditional directed-testing approach. With the CDV, a testbench developer, by setting the verification goals, starts with an structured plan. Those goals are targeted further by a developed testbench, which generates legal stimuli and sends them to a device under test (DUT). The progress is measured by coverage monitors added to the simulation environment. In this way, the non-exercised functionality can be identified. Moreover, the additional scoreboards indicate undesired DUT behaviour. Such verification environments were developed for three recent ASIC and FPGA projects which have successfully implemented the new work-flow: (1) the CLICpix2 65 nm CMOS hybrid pixel readout ASIC desi...

Using numeric simulation in an online e-learning environment to teach functional physiological contexts.

Science.gov (United States)

Christ, Andreas; Thews, Oliver

2016-04-01

Mathematical models are suitable to simulate complex biological processes by a set of non-linear differential equations. These simulation models can be used as an e-learning tool in medical education. However, in many cases these mathematical systems have to be treated numerically which is computationally intensive. The aim of the study was to develop a system for numerical simulation to be used in an online e-learning environment. In the software system the simulation is located on the server as a CGI application. The user (student) selects the boundary conditions for the simulation (e.g., properties of a simulated patient) on the browser. With these parameters the simulation on the server is started and the simulation result is re-transferred to the browser. With this system two examples of e-learning units were realized. The first one uses a multi-compartment model of the glucose-insulin control loop for the simulation of the plasma glucose level after a simulated meal or during diabetes (including treatment by subcutaneous insulin application). The second one simulates the ion transport leading to the resting and action potential in nerves. The student can vary parameters systematically to explore the biological behavior of the system. The described system is able to simulate complex biological processes and offers the possibility to use these models in an online e-learning environment. As far as the underlying principles can be described mathematically, this type of system can be applied to a broad spectrum of biomedical or natural scientific topics. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modelling of an industrial environment, part 1.: Monte Carlo simulations of photon transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kis, Z.; Eged, K.; Meckbach, R.; Voigt, G.

2002-01-01

After a nuclear accident releasing radioactive material into the environment the external exposures may contribute significantly to the radiation exposure of the population (UNSCEAR 1988, 2000). For urban populations the external gamma exposure from radionuclides deposited on the surfaces of the urban-industrial environments yields the dominant contributions to the total dose to the public (Kelly 1987; Jacob and Meckbach 1990). The radiation field is naturally influenced by the environment around the sources. For calculations of the shielding effect of the structures in complex and realistic urban environments Monte Carlo methods turned out to be useful tools (Jacob and Meckbach 1987; Meckbach et al. 1988). Using these methods a complex environment can be set up in which the photon transport can be solved on a reliable way. The accuracy of the methods is in principle limited only by the knowledge of the atomic cross sections and the computational time. Several papers using Monte Carlo results for calculating doses from the external gamma exposures were published (Jacob and Meckbach 1987, 1990; Meckbach et al. 1988; Rochedo et al. 1996). In these papers the Monte Carlo simulations were run in urban environments and for different photon energies. The industrial environment can be defined as such an area where productive and/or commercial activity is carried out. A good example can be a factory or a supermarket. An industrial environment can rather be different from the urban ones as for the types and structures of the buildings and their dimensions. These variations will affect the radiation field of this environment. Hence there is a need to run new Monte Carlo simulations designed specially for the industrial environments

Application of numerical environment system to regional atmospheric radioactivity transport simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamazawa, H.; Ohkura, T.; Iida, T.; Chino, M.; Nagai, H.

2003-01-01

Main functions of the Numerical Environment System (NES), as a part of the Information Technology Based Laboratory (ITBL) project implemented by Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, became available for test use purposes although the development of the system is still underway. This system consists of numerical models of meteorology and atmospheric dispersion, database necessary for model simulations, post- and pre-processors such as data conversion and visualization, and a suite of system software which provide the users with system functions through a web page access. The system utilizes calculation servers such as vector- and scalar-parallel processors for numerical model execution, a EWS which serves as a hub of the system. This system provides users in the field of nuclear emergency preparedness and atmospheric environment with easy-to-use functions of atmospheric dispersion simulations including input meteorological data preparation and visualization of simulation results. The performance of numerical models in the system was examined with observation data of long-range transported radon-222. The models in the system reproduced quite well temporal variations in the observed radon-222 concentrations in air which were caused by changes in the meteorological field in the synoptic scale. By applying the NES models in combination with the idea of backward-in-time atmospheric dispersion simulation, seasonal shift of source areas of radon-222 in the eastern Asian regions affecting the concentrations in Japan was quantitatively illustrated. (authors)

State of the research environment - 2013

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phillips, Julia Mae; Simmons, Jerry Alvon; Weaver, Karla

2014-02-01

This report describes the condition of the research environment at Sandia National Laboratories and outlines key environment improvement activities undertaken by the Office of the Chief Technology Officer and the Sandia Research Leadership Team during fiscal year 2013. The report also outlines Lab-level objectives related to the research environment for fiscal year 2014.

Transit Officer Training Recommendations to Improve Safety in a High Stress Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Teague, Christine; Quin, Robyn; Green, Lelia; Bahn, Susanne

2014-01-01

This paper draws on the experience of one of the authors, an ethnographic researcher who, in the course of her investigation into the everyday work and communication cultures of Australian public transport officers, spent 12 weeks undergoing training as a rail transit officer before spending four months on the job where she was rostered on duty…

Office design's impact on sick leave rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Bodin Danielsson, Christina; Chungkham, Holendro Singh; Wulff, Cornelia; Westerlund, Hugo

2014-01-01

The effect of office type on sickness absence among office employees was studied prospectively in 1852 employees working in (1) cell-offices; (2) shared-room offices; (3) small, (4) medium-sized and (5) large open-plan offices; (6) flex-offices and (7) combi-offices. Sick leaves were self-reported two years later as number of (a) short and (b) long (medically certified) sick leave spells as well as (c) total number of sick leave days. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used, with adjustment for background factors. A significant excess risk for sickness absence was found only in terms of short sick leave spells in the three open-plan offices. In the gender separate analysis, this remained for women, whereas men had a significantly increased risk in flex-offices. For long sick leave spells, a significantly higher risk was found among women in large open-plan offices and for total number of sick days among men in flex-offices. A prospective study of the office environment's effect on employees is motivated by the high rates of sick leaves in the workforce. The results indicate differences between office types, depending on the number of people sharing workspace and the opportunity to exert personal control as influenced by the features that define the office types.

Premar-2: a Monte Carlo code for radiative transport simulation in atmospheric environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cupini, E.

1999-01-01

The peculiarities of the PREMAR-2 code, aimed at radiation transport Monte Carlo simulation in atmospheric environments in the infrared-ultraviolet frequency range, are described. With respect to the previously developed PREMAR code, besides plane multilayers, spherical multilayers and finite sequences of vertical layers, each one with its own atmospheric behaviour, are foreseen in the new code, together with the refraction phenomenon, so that long range, highly slanted paths can now be more faithfully taken into account. A zenithal angular dependence of the albedo coefficient has moreover been introduced. Lidar systems, with spatially independent source and telescope, are allowed again to be simulated, and, in this latest version of the code, sensitivity analyses to be performed. According to this last feasibility, consequences on radiation transport of small perturbations in physical components of the atmospheric environment may be analyze and the related effects on searched results estimated. The availability of a library of physical data (reaction coefficients, phase functions and refraction indexes) is required by the code, providing the essential features of the environment of interest needed of the Monte Carlo simulation. Variance reducing techniques have been enhanced in the Premar-2 code, by introducing, for instance, a local forced collision technique, especially apt to be used in Lidar system simulations. Encouraging comparisons between code and experimental results carried out at the Brasimone Centre of ENEA, have so far been obtained, even if further checks of the code are to be performed [it

Simulation experience enhances physical therapist student confidence in managing a patient in the critical care environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohtake, Patricia J; Lazarus, Marcilene; Schillo, Rebecca; Rosen, Michael

2013-02-01

Rehabilitation of patients in critical care environments improves functional outcomes. This finding has led to increased implementation of intensive care unit (ICU) rehabilitation programs, including early mobility, and an associated increased demand for physical therapists practicing in ICUs. Unfortunately, many physical therapists report being inadequately prepared to work in this high-risk environment. Simulation provides focused, deliberate practice in safe, controlled learning environments and may be a method to initiate academic preparation of physical therapists for ICU practice. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of participation in simulation-based management of a patient with critical illness in an ICU setting on levels of confidence and satisfaction in physical therapist students. A one-group, pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design was used. Physical therapist students (N=43) participated in a critical care simulation experience requiring technical (assessing bed mobility and pulmonary status), behavioral (patient and interprofessional communication), and cognitive (recognizing a patient status change and initiating appropriate responses) skill performance. Student confidence and satisfaction were surveyed before and after the simulation experience. Students' confidence in their technical, behavioral, and cognitive skill performance increased from "somewhat confident" to "confident" following the critical care simulation experience. Student satisfaction was highly positive, with strong agreement the simulation experience was valuable, reinforced course content, and was a useful educational tool. Limitations of the study were the small sample from one university and a control group was not included. Incorporating a simulated, interprofessional critical care experience into a required clinical course improved physical therapist student confidence in technical, behavioral, and cognitive performance measures and was associated with high

A COMPUTATIONAL WORKBENCH ENVIRONMENT FOR VIRTUAL POWER PLANT SIMULATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mike Bockelie; Dave Swensen; Martin Denison; Adel Sarofim; Connie Senior

2004-12-22

In this report is described the work effort to develop and demonstrate a software framework to support advanced process simulations to evaluate the performance of advanced power systems. Integrated into the framework are a broad range of models, analysis tools, and visualization methods that can be used for the plant evaluation. The framework provides a tightly integrated problem-solving environment, with plug-and-play functionality, and includes a hierarchy of models, ranging from fast running process models to detailed reacting CFD models. The framework places no inherent limitations on the type of physics that can be modeled, numerical techniques, or programming languages used to implement the equipment models, or the type or amount of data that can be exchanged between models. Tools are provided to analyze simulation results at multiple levels of detail, ranging from simple tabular outputs to advanced solution visualization methods. All models and tools communicate in a seamless manner. The framework can be coupled to other software frameworks that provide different modeling capabilities. Three software frameworks were developed during the course of the project. The first framework focused on simulating the performance of the DOE Low Emissions Boiler System Proof of Concept facility, an advanced pulverized-coal combustion-based power plant. The second framework targeted simulating the performance of an Integrated coal Gasification Combined Cycle - Fuel Cell Turbine (IGCC-FCT) plant configuration. The coal gasifier models included both CFD and process models for the commercially dominant systems. Interfacing models to the framework was performed using VES-Open, and tests were performed to demonstrate interfacing CAPE-Open compliant models to the framework. The IGCC-FCT framework was subsequently extended to support Virtual Engineering concepts in which plant configurations can be constructed and interrogated in a three-dimensional, user-centered, interactive

A maker-community-friendly implementation of a smart and green office environment: Lessons learned

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Smith, Andrew C

2015-05-01

Full Text Available previously untested (again, by ourselves) concepts and technologies, our learning from the first design iteration proved to be of significant value. Both design iterations incorporate a combination of an Arduino Uno [11] and a Raspberry Pi [12... into the office. Sensing the state of the office door, the office window, and the presence of a person within the office is simple: By wiring three sensors that each sends one of two signals levels to an Arduino Uno circuit, we can independently detect whether...

Gaining insight into the physics of dynamic atomic force microscopy in complex environments using the VEDA simulator

Science.gov (United States)

Kiracofe, Daniel; Melcher, John; Raman, Arvind

2012-01-01

Dynamic atomic force microscopy (dAFM) continues to grow in popularity among scientists in many different fields, and research on new methods and operating modes continues to expand the resolution, capabilities, and types of samples that can be studied. But many promising increases in capability are accompanied by increases in complexity. Indeed, interpreting modern dAFM data can be challenging, especially on complicated material systems, or in liquid environments where the behavior is often contrary to what is known in air or vacuum environments. Mathematical simulations have proven to be an effective tool in providing physical insight into these non-intuitive systems. In this article we describe recent developments in the VEDA (virtual environment for dynamic AFM) simulator, which is a suite of freely available, open-source simulation tools that are delivered through the cloud computing cyber-infrastructure of nanoHUB (www.nanohub.org). Here we describe three major developments. First, simulations in liquid environments are improved by enhancements in the modeling of cantilever dynamics, excitation methods, and solvation shell forces. Second, VEDA is now able to simulate many new advanced modes of operation (bimodal, phase-modulation, frequency-modulation, etc.). Finally, nineteen different tip-sample models are available to simulate the surface physics of a wide variety different material systems including capillary, specific adhesion, van der Waals, electrostatic, viscoelasticity, and hydration forces. These features are demonstrated through example simulations and validated against experimental data, in order to provide insight into practical problems in dynamic AFM.

Simulation of UMTS Capacity and Quality of Coverage in Urban Macro- and Microcellular Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Pechac

2005-12-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with simulations of a radio interface of thirdgeneration (3G mobile systems operating in the WCDMA FDD modeincluding propagation predictions in macro and microcells. In the radionetwork planning of 3G mobile systems, the quality of coverage and thesystem capacity present a common problem. Both macro and microcellularconcepts are very important for implementing wireless communicationsystems, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunication Systems (UMTS indense urban areas. The aim of this paper is to introduce differentimpacts - selected bit rate, uplink (UL loading, allocation and numberof Nodes B, selected propagation prediction models, macro andmicrocellular environment - on system capacity and quality of coveragein UMTS networks. Both separated and composite simulation scenarios ofmacro and microcellular environments are presented. The necessity of aniteration-based simulation approach and site-specific propagationmodeling in microcells is proven.

A spacecraft's own ambient environment: The role of simulation-based research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ketsdever, Andrew D. [University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Colorado Springs, CO (United States); Gimelshein, Sergey [University of Southern California, Department of Astronautical Engineering, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

2014-12-09

Spacecraft contamination has long been a subject of study in the rarefied gas dynamics community. Professor Mikhail Ivanov coined the term a spacecraft's 'own ambient environment' to describe the effects of natural and satellite driven processes on the conditions encountered by a spacecraft in orbit. Outgassing, thruster firings, and gas and liquid dumps all contribute to the spacecraft's contamination environment. Rarefied gas dynamic modeling techniques, such as Direct Simulation Monte Carlo, are well suited to investigate these spacebased environments. However, many advances were necessary to fully characterize the extent of this problem. A better understanding of modeling flows over large pressure ranges, for example hybrid continuum and rarefied numerical schemes, were required. Two-phase flow modeling under rarefied conditions was necessary. And the ability to model plasma flows for a new era of propulsion systems was also required. Through the work of Professor Ivanov and his team, we now have a better understanding of processes that create a spacecraft's own ambient environment and are able to better characterize these environments. Advances in numerical simulation have also spurred on the development of experimental facilities to study these effects. The relationship between numerical results and experimental advances will be explored in this manuscript.

Influence of anatomic landmarks in the virtual environment on simulated angled laparoscope navigation

Science.gov (United States)

Christie, Lorna S.; Goossens, Richard H. M.; de Ridder, Huib; Jakimowicz, Jack J.

2010-01-01

Background The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the presence of anatomic landmarks on the performance of angled laparoscope navigation on the SimSurgery SEP simulator. Methods Twenty-eight experienced laparoscopic surgeons (familiar with 30° angled laparoscope, >100 basic laparoscopic procedures, >5 advanced laparoscopic procedures) and 23 novices (no laparoscopy experience) performed the Camera Navigation task in an abstract virtual environment (CN-box) and in a virtual representation of the lower abdomen (CN-abdomen). They also rated the realism and added value of the virtual environments on seven-point scales. Results Within both groups, the CN-box task was accomplished in less time and with shorter tip trajectory than the CN-abdomen task (Wilcoxon test, p  0.05). In both groups, the CN tasks were perceived as hard work and more challenging than anticipated. Conclusions Performance of the angled laparoscope navigation task is influenced by the virtual environment surrounding the exercise. The task was performed better in an abstract environment than in a virtual environment with anatomic landmarks. More insight is required into the influence and function of different types of intrinsic and extrinsic feedback on the effectiveness of preclinical simulator training. PMID:20419318

Fostering Student Police Officers' Creativity in Language Education

Science.gov (United States)

Zascerinska, Jelena; Aleksejeva, Ludmila

2011-01-01

Introduction: The modern issues of global developmental trends require contemporary police officers to become more cognizant and more responsive to the emerging needs of human safety in the constantly changing environment. Education provides student police officers with the appropriate skills and competences for innovation based on creativity.…

Three-dimensional simulation and auto-stereoscopic 3D display of the battlefield environment based on the particle system algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Ning, Jiwei; Sang, Xinzhu; Xing, Shujun; Cui, Huilong; Yan, Binbin; Yu, Chongxiu; Dou, Wenhua; Xiao, Liquan

2016-10-01

The army's combat training is very important now, and the simulation of the real battlefield environment is of great significance. Two-dimensional information has been unable to meet the demand at present. With the development of virtual reality technology, three-dimensional (3D) simulation of the battlefield environment is possible. In the simulation of 3D battlefield environment, in addition to the terrain, combat personnel and the combat tool ,the simulation of explosions, fire, smoke and other effects is also very important, since these effects can enhance senses of realism and immersion of the 3D scene. However, these special effects are irregular objects, which make it difficult to simulate with the general geometry. Therefore, the simulation of irregular objects is always a hot and difficult research topic in computer graphics. Here, the particle system algorithm is used for simulating irregular objects. We design the simulation of the explosion, fire, smoke based on the particle system and applied it to the battlefield 3D scene. Besides, the battlefield 3D scene simulation with the glasses-free 3D display is carried out with an algorithm based on GPU 4K super-multiview 3D video real-time transformation method. At the same time, with the human-computer interaction function, we ultimately realized glasses-free 3D display of the simulated more realistic and immersed 3D battlefield environment.

Improving the Adaptability of Simulated Evolutionary Swarm Robots in Dynamically Changing Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Yao; Marchal, Kathleen; Van de Peer, Yves

2014-01-01

One of the important challenges in the field of evolutionary robotics is the development of systems that can adapt to a changing environment. However, the ability to adapt to unknown and fluctuating environments is not straightforward. Here, we explore the adaptive potential of simulated swarm robots that contain a genomic encoding of a bio-inspired gene regulatory network (GRN). An artificial genome is combined with a flexible agent-based system, representing the activated part of the regulatory network that transduces environmental cues into phenotypic behaviour. Using an artificial life simulation framework that mimics a dynamically changing environment, we show that separating the static from the conditionally active part of the network contributes to a better adaptive behaviour. Furthermore, in contrast with most hitherto developed ANN-based systems that need to re-optimize their complete controller network from scratch each time they are subjected to novel conditions, our system uses its genome to store GRNs whose performance was optimized under a particular environmental condition for a sufficiently long time. When subjected to a new environment, the previous condition-specific GRN might become inactivated, but remains present. This ability to store ‘good behaviour’ and to disconnect it from the novel rewiring that is essential under a new condition allows faster re-adaptation if any of the previously observed environmental conditions is reencountered. As we show here, applying these evolutionary-based principles leads to accelerated and improved adaptive evolution in a non-stable environment. PMID:24599485

Improving the adaptability of simulated evolutionary swarm robots in dynamically changing environments.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yao Yao

Full Text Available One of the important challenges in the field of evolutionary robotics is the development of systems that can adapt to a changing environment. However, the ability to adapt to unknown and fluctuating environments is not straightforward. Here, we explore the adaptive potential of simulated swarm robots that contain a genomic encoding of a bio-inspired gene regulatory network (GRN. An artificial genome is combined with a flexible agent-based system, representing the activated part of the regulatory network that transduces environmental cues into phenotypic behaviour. Using an artificial life simulation framework that mimics a dynamically changing environment, we show that separating the static from the conditionally active part of the network contributes to a better adaptive behaviour. Furthermore, in contrast with most hitherto developed ANN-based systems that need to re-optimize their complete controller network from scratch each time they are subjected to novel conditions, our system uses its genome to store GRNs whose performance was optimized under a particular environmental condition for a sufficiently long time. When subjected to a new environment, the previous condition-specific GRN might become inactivated, but remains present. This ability to store 'good behaviour' and to disconnect it from the novel rewiring that is essential under a new condition allows faster re-adaptation if any of the previously observed environmental conditions is reencountered. As we show here, applying these evolutionary-based principles leads to accelerated and improved adaptive evolution in a non-stable environment.

Behavior of HfB2-SiC Materials in Simulated Re-Entry Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Ellerby, Don; Beckman, Sarah; Irby, Edward; Johnson, Sylvia M.; Gunsman, Michael; Gasch, Matthew; Ridge, Jerry; Martinez, Ed; Squire, Tom; Olejniczak, Joe

2003-01-01

The objectives of this research are to: 1) Investigate the oxidation/ablation behavior of HfB2/SiC materials in simulated re-entry environments; 2) Use the arc jet test results to define appropriate use environments for these materials for use in vehicle design. The parameters to be investigated include: surface temperature, stagnation pressure, duration, number of cycles, and thermal stresses.

Simulation of three-phase induction motor drives using indirect field oriented control in PSIM environment

Science.gov (United States)

Aziri, Hasif; Patakor, Fizatul Aini; Sulaiman, Marizan; Salleh, Zulhisyam

2017-09-01

This paper presents the simulation of three-phase induction motor drives using Indirect Field Oriented Control (IFOC) in PSIM environment. The asynchronous machine is well known about natural limitations fact of highly nonlinearity and complexity of motor model. In order to resolve these problems, the IFOC is applied to control the instantaneous electrical quantities such as torque and flux component. As FOC is controlling the stator current that represented by a vector, the torque component is aligned with d coordinate while the flux component is aligned with q coordinate. There are five levels of the incremental system are gradually built up to verify and testing the software module in the system. Indeed, all of system build levels are verified and successfully tested in PSIM environment. Moreover, the corresponding system of five build levels are simulated in PSIM environment which is user-friendly for simulation studies in order to explore the performance of speed responses based on IFOC algorithm for three-phase induction motor drives.

Energy Analysis of Multi-Function Devices in an Office Environment

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — As part of an effort to monitor electricity usage by plug loads in a new high performance office building, plug load management devices were deployed to enable data...

Applying Outdoor Environment to Develop Health, Comfort, and Energy Saving in the Office in Hot-Humid Climate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rong Chen

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A human life demand set to emerge in the future is the achievement of sustainability by maintaining a comfortable indoor environment without excessive reliance on energy-consuming air conditioners. The major research processes in this study are: (1 measuring indoor air quality and thermal comfort to evaluate the comfort of an indoor environment; (2 implementing questionnaire survey analysis to explore people’s environmental self-perceptions and conducting a meta-analysis of the measurement results for air quality and physical aspects; and (3 constructing an indoor monitoring and management system. The experimental and analysis results of this research reveal that most of the office occupants preferred a cooler environment with a lower temperature. Additionally, because the summers in Taiwan are humid and hot, the occupants of an indoor space tend to feel uncomfortable because of the high humidity and poor indoor air quality. Therefore, Variable Air Volume (VAV, two air intakes, and exhaust plant are installed to improve indoor environment. After improvement, a lower temperature (approximately 21.2–23.9°C indirectly reduces humidity, thereby making the occupants comfortable. Increasing air velocity to 0.1~0.15 m/s, the carbon dioxide concentrations decrease below the requirement of the WHO. Ninety-five percent of the workers corresponded to the standard comfort zone after this improvement.

Applying Outdoor Environment to Develop Health, Comfort, and Energy Saving in the Office in Hot-Humid Climate

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Rong; Sung, Wen-Pei; Chang, Hung-Chang; Chi, Yi-Rou

2013-01-01

A human life demand set to emerge in the future is the achievement of sustainability by maintaining a comfortable indoor environment without excessive reliance on energy-consuming air conditioners. The major research processes in this study are: (1) measuring indoor air quality and thermal comfort to evaluate the comfort of an indoor environment; (2) implementing questionnaire survey analysis to explore people's environmental self-perceptions and conducting a meta-analysis of the measurement results for air quality and physical aspects; and (3) constructing an indoor monitoring and management system. The experimental and analysis results of this research reveal that most of the office occupants preferred a cooler environment with a lower temperature. Additionally, because the summers in Taiwan are humid and hot, the occupants of an indoor space tend to feel uncomfortable because of the high humidity and poor indoor air quality. Therefore, Variable Air Volume (VAV), two air intakes, and exhaust plant are installed to improve indoor environment. After improvement, a lower temperature (approximately 21.2–23.9°C) indirectly reduces humidity, thereby making the occupants comfortable. Increasing air velocity to 0.1 ~ 0.15 m/s, the carbon dioxide concentrations decrease below the requirement of the WHO. Ninety-five percent of the workers corresponded to the standard comfort zone after this improvement. PMID:24311976

Influence of user behavior on unsatisfactory indoor thermal environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Biao; Long, Enshen; Meng, Xi; Zhang, Yuanze; Hou, Dongqi; Du, Xin

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The methodology of numerical simulation of 3D heat-flux visualization is proposed. • A full-scale model of prototype office for each influential factor was set up. • The simulation results were compared with the indoor occupant comfort levels. • The contrast of average temperature increase due to user behavior was presented. - Abstract: In areas of China that have hot summers and cold winters, the overall performance of HVAC systems in the poorly-insulated existing office buildings is generally not satisfactory, especially in extreme weather conditions. The reasons for the unsatisfactory indoor thermal environment were deduced, and to validate the findings, a methodology of numerical simulation for 3D heat-flux visualization was proposed. A full-scale model of a prototype office room was created, with representative working conditions for the characteristics of particular building. The results of the heat-flux visualization and temperature distribution showed that the overall effect was resulted from merged reasons, and that significance ranking of each reason varied when the outside environmental conditions changed. The simulation results were compared with the indoor occupant comfort levels of the volunteers who worked in the target room. Models of possible influential factors such as the outdoor temperature, opening or closing windows, and the effect of window shading devices (WSD) were set up. The influence of user behavior on indoor temperature in opening window, or not using WSD was proven to be significant in causing unfavorable indoor conditions. According to the visualized evaluation and analysis of the various factors, corresponding methods for both improving indoor thermal conditions and saving energy are proposed

The Sustainable Office. An exploration of the potential for factor 20 environmental improvement of office accommodation

OpenAIRE

Van den Dobbelsteen, A.A.J.F.

2004-01-01

Sustainable development is the goal of a balance between economy and the environment, whilst establishing a better spread prosperity across the world. In order to make this possible, the environmental load of our commodities needs to be reduced by a factor of 20. This factor 20 can also be translated to the office market. The PhD research presented in this thesis focussed on finding solutions effectively contributing to factor 20 environmental improvement of office accommodation. In order to ...

Modeling and simulation to determine the potential energy savings by implementing cold thermal energy storage system in office buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rismanchi, B.; Saidur, R.; Masjuki, H.H.; Mahlia, T.M.I.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Simulating the CTES system behavior based on Malaysian climate. • Almost 65% of power is used for cooling for cooling the office buildings, every day. • The baseline shows an acceptable match with real data from the fieldwork. • Overall, the energy used for full load storage is much than the conventional system. • The load levelling storage strategy has 3.7% lower energy demand. - Abstract: In Malaysia, air conditioning (AC) systems are considered as the major energy consumers in office buildings with almost 57% share. During the past decade, cold thermal energy storage (CTES) systems have been widely used for their significant economic benefits. However, there were always doubts about their energy saving possibilities. The main objective of the present work is to develop a computer model to determine the potential energy savings of implementing CTES systems in Malaysia. A case study building has been selected to determine the energy consumption pattern of an office building. In the first step the building baseline model was developed and validated with the recorded data from the fieldwork. Once the simulation results reach an acceptable accuracy, different CTES system configuration was added to the model to predict their energy consumption pattern. It was found that the overall energy used by the full load storage strategy is considerably more than the conventional system. However, by applying the load leveling storage strategy, and considering its benefits to reduce the air handling unit size and reducing the pumping power, the overall energy usage was almost 4% lower than the non-storage system. Although utilizing CTES systems cannot reduce the total energy consumption considerably, but it has several outstanding benefits such as cost saving, bringing balance in the grid system, reducing the overall fuel consumption in the power plants and consequently reducing to total carbon footprint

Training and learning for crisis management using a virtual simulation/gaming environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Walker, W.E.; Giddings, J.; Armstrong, S.

2011-01-01

Recent advances in computers, networking, and telecommunications offer new opportunities for using simulation and gaming as methodological tools for improving crisis management. It has become easy to develop virtual environments to support games, to have players at distributed workstations

The Institutionalization of Catholic Culture through the Student Life Office

Science.gov (United States)

Wurtz, Joseph F.

2012-01-01

The main research question of this study was: How do student life offices at four diverse Catholic colleges and universities create an environment that is expressive of a Catholic way of life? This research question was operationalized by two research sub questions: How do senior student affairs officers, mid-level student affairs officers, and…

A Cost Effective Solution for Development Environment for Data Acquisition, Monitoring and Simulation of PLC Controlled Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Bjelica

2014-06-01

Full Text Available It is very important to test and monitor the operation of Programmable Logic Controller (PLC in real time (online. Nowadays, conventional, but expensive monitoring systems for PLCs, such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA systems, software and hardware simulators (or debuggers, are widely used. This paper proposes a user friendly and cost-effective development environment for monitoring, data acquisition and online simulation of applications with PLC. The purpose of this solution is to simulate the process which is controlled by the PLC. The performances of the proposed development environment are presented on the examples of washing machine and dishwasher simulators.

NEAMS Nuclear Waste Management IPSC: evaluation and selection of tools for the quality environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouchard, Julie F.; Stubblefield, William Anthony; Vigil, Dena M.; Edwards, Harold Carter

2011-01-01

The objective of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation Nuclear Waste Management Integrated Performance and Safety Codes (NEAMS Nuclear Waste Management IPSC) is to provide an integrated suite of computational modeling and simulation (M and S) capabilities to quantitatively assess the long-term performance of waste forms in the engineered and geologic environments of a radioactive-waste storage facility or disposal repository. These M and S capabilities are to be managed, verified, and validated within the NEAMS Nuclear Waste Management IPSC quality environment. M and S capabilities and the supporting analysis workflow and simulation data management tools will be distributed to end-users from this same quality environment. The same analysis workflow and simulation data management tools that are to be distributed to end-users will be used for verification and validation (V and V) activities within the quality environment. This strategic decision reduces the number of tools to be supported, and increases the quality of tools distributed to end users due to rigorous use by V and V activities. This report documents an evaluation of the needs, options, and tools selected for the NEAMS Nuclear Waste Management IPSC quality environment. The objective of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation Nuclear Waste Management Integrated Performance and Safety Codes (NEAMS Nuclear Waste Management IPSC) program element is to provide an integrated suite of computational modeling and simulation (M and S) capabilities to assess quantitatively the long-term performance of waste forms in the engineered and geologic environments of a radioactive-waste storage facility or disposal repository. This objective will be fulfilled by acquiring and developing M and S capabilities, and establishing a defensible level of confidence in these M and S capabilities. The foundation for assessing the

Response of Human Prostate Cancer Cells to Mitoxantrone Treatment in Simulated Microgravity Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ye; Wu, Honglu

2012-07-01

RESPONSE OF HUMAN PROSTATE CANCER CELLS TO MITOXANTRONE TREATMENT IN SIMULATED MICROGRAVITY ENVIRONMENT Ye Zhang1,2, Christopher Edwards3, and Honglu Wu1 1 NASA-Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 2 Wyle Integrated Science and Engineering Group, Houston, TX 3 Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR This study explores the changes in growth of human prostate cancer cells (LNCaP) and their response to the treatment of an antineoplastic agent, mitoxantrone, under the simulated microgravity condition. In comparison to static 1g, microgravity and simulated microgravity have been shown to alter global gene expression patterns and protein levels in various cultured cell models or animals. However, very little is known about the effect of altered gravity on the responses of cells to the treatment of drugs, especially chemotherapy drugs. To test the hypothesis that zero gravity would result in altered regulations of cells in response to antineoplastic agents, we cultured LNCaP cells in either a High Aspect Ratio Vessel (HARV) bioreactor at the rotating condition to model microgravity in space or in the static condition as control, and treated the cells with mitoxantrone. Cell growth, as well as expressions of oxidative stress related genes, were analyzed after the drug treatment. Compared to static 1g controls, the cells cultured in the simulated microgravity environment did not present significant differences in cell viability, growth rate, or cell cycle distribution. However, after mitoxantrone treatment, a significant proportion of bioreactor cultured cells became apoptotic or was arrested in G2. Several oxidative stress related genes also showed a higher expression level post mitoxantrone treatment. Our results indicate that simulated microgravity may alter the response of LNCaP cells to mitoxantrone treatment. Understanding the mechanisms by which cells respond to drugs differently in an altered gravity environment will be useful for the improvement of cancer treatment on

Office type's association to employees' welfare: Three studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Danielsson, Christina Bodin

2016-08-12

The workplace is important for employees' daily life and well-being. This article investigates exploratory the office design's role for employees' welfare from different perspectives. By comparing different studies of the office, type's influence on different factors of employees' welfare the aim is to see if any common patterns exist in office design's impact. The three included studies investigate office type's association with employees' welfare by measuring its influence on: a) perception of leadership, b) sick leave, and c) job satisfaction.The sample consists of office employees from a large, national representative work environment survey that work in one of the seven identified office types in contemporary office design: (1) cell-offices; (2) shared-room offices; (3) small, (4) medium-sized and (5) large open-plan offices; (6) flex-offices and (7) combi-offices. Statistical method used is multivariate logistic and linear regression analysis with adjustment for background factors. Overall results show that shared-room office, traditional open plan offices and flex-office stand out negatively, but to different degree(s) on the different outcomes measured. This explorative comparison of different studies finds a pattern of office types that repeatedly show indications of negative influence on employees' welfare, but further studies are needed to clarify this.

A method to solve the aircraft magnetic field model basing on geomagnetic environment simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Chunsheng; Zhou, Jian-jun; Yang, Zhen-yu

2015-01-01

In aeromagnetic survey, it is difficult to solve the aircraft magnetic field model by flying for some unman controlled or disposable aircrafts. So a model solving method on the ground is proposed. The method simulates the geomagnetic environment where the aircraft is flying and creates the background magnetic field samples which is the same as the magnetic field arose by aircraft’s maneuvering. Then the aircraft magnetic field model can be solved by collecting the magnetic field samples. The method to simulate the magnetic environment and the method to control the errors are presented as well. Finally, an experiment is done for verification. The result shows that the model solving precision and stability by the method is well. The calculated model parameters by the method in one district can be used in worldwide districts as well. - Highlights: • A method to solve the aircraft magnetic field model on the ground is proposed. • The method solves the model by simulating dynamic geomagnetic environment as in the real flying. • The way to control the error of the method was analyzed. • An experiment is done for verification

Application of computational fluid dynamics in building performance simulation for the outdoor environment: an overview

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blocken, B.J.E.; Stathopoulos, T.; Carmeliet, J.; Hensen, J.L.M.

2011-01-01

This paper provides an overview of the application of CFD in building performance simulation for the outdoor environment, focused on four topics: (1) pedestrian wind environment around buildings, (2) wind-driven rain on building facades, (3) convective heat transfer coefficients at exterior building

Comprehensive modelling and simulation of cylindrical nanoparticles manipulation by using a virtual reality environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Korayem, Moharam Habibnejad; Hoshiar, Ali Kafash; Ghofrani, Maedeh

2017-08-01

With the expansion of nanotechnology, robots based on atomic force microscope (AFM) have been widely used as effective tools for displacing nanoparticles and constructing nanostructures. One of the most limiting factors in AFM-based manipulation procedures is the inability of simultaneously observing the controlled pushing and displacing of nanoparticles while performing the operation. To deal with this limitation, a virtual reality environment has been used in this paper for observing the manipulation operation. In the simulations performed in this paper, first, the images acquired by the atomic force microscope have been processed and the positions and dimensions of nanoparticles have been determined. Then, by dynamically modelling the transfer of nanoparticles and simulating the critical force-time diagrams, a controlled displacement of nanoparticles has been accomplished. The simulations have been further developed for the use of rectangular, V-shape and dagger-shape cantilevers. The established virtual reality environment has made it possible to simulate the manipulation of biological particles in a liquid medium. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Language and Environment for Analysis of Dynamics by SimulaTiOn

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosse, T.; Jonker, C.M.; van der Meij, L.; Treur, J.

2007-01-01

This article presents the language and software environment LEADSTO that has been developed to model and simulate dynamic processes in terms of both qualitative and quantitative concepts. The LEADSTO language is a declarative order-sorted temporal language, extended with quantitative notions like

40 CFR 1.47 - Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Office of Solid Waste and Emergency... ORGANIZATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION Headquarters § 1.47 Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. The Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER), under the supervision of the Assistant...

Endotoxin levels and contribution factors of endotoxins in resident, school, and office environments - A review

Science.gov (United States)

Salonen, Heidi; Duchaine, Caroline; Létourneau, Valérie; Mazaheri, Mandana; Laitinen, Sirpa; Clifford, Sam; Mikkola, Raimo; Lappalainen, Sanna; Reijula, Kari; Morawska, Lidia

2016-10-01

As endotoxin exposure has known effects on human health, it is important to know the generally existing levels of endotoxins as well as their contributing factors. This work reviews current knowledge on the endotoxin loads in settled floor dust, concentrations of endotoxins in indoor air, and different environmental factors potentially affecting endotoxin levels. The literature review consists of peer-reviewed manuscripts located using Google and PubMed, with search terms based on individual words and combinations. References from relevant articles have also been searched. Analysis of the data showed that in residential, school, and office environments, the mean endotoxin loads in settled floor dust varied between 660 and 107,000 EU/m2, 2180 and 48,000 EU/m2, and 2700 and 12,890 EU/m2, respectively. Correspondingly, the mean endotoxin concentrations in indoor air varied between 0.04 and 1610 EU/m3 in residences, and 0.07 and 9.30 EU/m3 in schools and offices. There is strong scientific evidence indicating that age of houses (or housing unit year category), cleaning, farm or rural living, flooring materials (the presence of carpets), number of occupants, the presence of dogs or cats indoors, and relative humidity affect endotoxin loads in settled floor dust. The presence of pets (especially dogs) was extremely strongly associated with endotoxin concentrations in indoor air. However, as reviewed articles show inconsistency, additional studies on these and other possible predicting factors are needed.

DIGITAL SIMULATIONS FOR IMPROVING EDUCATION: Learning Through Artificial Teaching Environments

OpenAIRE

Reviewed by Özlem OZAN

2009-01-01

DIGITAL SIMULATIONS FOR IMPROVING EDUCATION:Learning Through Artificial Teaching EnvironmentsGibson, David, Ed.D.; Information Science Reference, Hershey, PA,SBN-10: 1605663239, ISBN-13: 9781605663234, p.514 Jan 2009Reviewed byÖzlem OZANFaculty of Education, Eskişehir Osmangazi University,Eskisehir-TURKEYSimulations in education, both for children and adults,become popular with the development of computer technology, because they are fun and engaging and allow learners to internalize knowledg...

Psychological and physiological human responses to simulated and real environments: A comparison between Photographs, 360° Panoramas, and Virtual Reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Higuera-Trujillo, Juan Luis; López-Tarruella Maldonado, Juan; Llinares Millán, Carmen

2017-11-01

Psychological research into human factors frequently uses simulations to study the relationship between human behaviour and the environment. Their validity depends on their similarity with the physical environments. This paper aims to validate three environmental-simulation display formats: photographs, 360° panoramas, and virtual reality. To do this we compared the psychological and physiological responses evoked by simulated environments set-ups to those from a physical environment setup; we also assessed the users' sense of presence. Analysis show that 360° panoramas offer the closest to reality results according to the participants' psychological responses, and virtual reality according to the physiological responses. Correlations between the feeling of presence and physiological and other psychological responses were also observed. These results may be of interest to researchers using environmental-simulation technologies currently available in order to replicate the experience of physical environments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Factors defining face-to-face interruptions in the office environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Matysiak, A.J.; Markopoulos, P.

2006-01-01

This paper presents an on-going investigation on interruptions in the office caused by face-to-face interactions between knowledge workers. The study aims to identify opportunities for interactive solutions that will support both, the interrupters and the interrupted. The study involves contextual

Instructional environments for simulations.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Berkum, J.J.A.; de Jong, T.

1991-01-01

The use of computer simulations in education and training can have substantial advantages over other approaches. In comparison with alternatives such as textbooks, lectures, and tutorial courseware, a simulation-based approach offers the opportunity to learn in a relatively realistic problem-solving

Instructional environments for simulations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Berkum, Jos J.A.; de Jong, Anthonius J.M.

1991-01-01

The use of computer simulations in education and training can have substantial advantages over other approaches. In comparison with alternatives such as textbooks, lectures, and tutorial courseware, a simulation-based approach offers the opportunity to learn in a relatively realistic problem-solving

Agent model for the simulation of pedestrian behavior in a shopping environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijkstra, J.; Timmermans, H.J.P.; Vries, de B.

2008-01-01

Simulation of human behavior in the built environment is of particular interest and receives a lot of attention, especially in precarious situations like evacuation and fire alarm. Also, walking behavior in streets, railway stations and airports is subject of research for gaining a clear

D-VASim: An Interactive Virtual Laboratory Environment for the Simulation and Analysis of Genetic Circuits

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baig, Hasan; Madsen, Jan

2016-01-01

runtime. The runtime interaction gives the user a feeling of being in the lab performing a real world experiment. In this work, we present a user-friendly software tool named D-VASim (Dynamic Virtual Analyzer and Simulator), which provides a virtual laboratory environment to simulate and analyze...

Performance of an alpha-vane and pitot tube in simulated heavy rain environment

Science.gov (United States)

Luers, J. K.; Fiscus, I. B.

1985-01-01

Experimental tests were conducted in the UDRI Environmental Wind/Rain Tunnel to establish the performance of an alpha-vane, that measures angle of attack, in a simulated heavy rain environment. The tests consisted of emersing the alpha-vane in an airstream with a concurrent water spray penetrating vertically through the airstream. The direction of the spray was varied to make an angle of 5.8 to 18 deg with the airstream direction in order to simulate the conditions that occur when an aircraft lands in a heavy rain environment. Rainrates simulated varied from 1000 to 1200 mm/hr which are the most severe ever expected to be encountered by an aircraft over even a 30 second period. Tunnel airspeeds ranged from 85 to 125 miles per hour. The results showed that even the most severe rainrates produced a misalignment in the alpha-vane of only 1 deg away from the airstream direction. Thus for normal rain conditions experienced by landing aircraft no significant deterioration in alpha-vane performance is expected.

Models and Methods for Adaptive Management of Individual and Team-Based Training Using a Simulator

Science.gov (United States)

Lisitsyna, L. S.; Smetyuh, N. P.; Golikov, S. P.

2017-05-01

Research of adaptive individual and team-based training has been analyzed and helped find out that both in Russia and abroad, individual and team-based training and retraining of AASTM operators usually includes: production training, training of general computer and office equipment skills, simulator training including virtual simulators which use computers to simulate real-world manufacturing situation, and, as a rule, the evaluation of AASTM operators’ knowledge determined by completeness and adequacy of their actions under the simulated conditions. Such approach to training and re-training of AASTM operators stipulates only technical training of operators and testing their knowledge based on assessing their actions in a simulated environment.

Energy optimization of office buildings; Energioptimering af kontorbyggeri

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wittchen, K.B.; Place Hansen, E.J. de (Statens Byggeforskningsinstitut (SBi), Hoersholm (Denmark)); Radisch, N.H.; Treldal, J. (Ramboell A/S, Koebenhavn (Denmark))

2011-07-01

The project analysed two main office building types - high-rises and low-rises - and calculated a number of parameters, using the simulation program BSim. Calculations showed that the overall building design and orientation effect is moderate compared with, for instance, use of daylight control and low-energy lighting, computers, etc. Considerable energy savings can be achieved by use of natural ventilation in the summer, thus only using mechanical ventilation with heat recovery during the day in the winter. Open-plan offices result in a better indoor climate and lower energy consumption than cubicle offices. (LN)

Simulating extreme environments: Ergonomic evaluation of Chinese pilot performance and heat stress tolerance.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jing; Tian, Yinsheng; Ding, Li; Zou, Huijuan; Ren, Zhaosheng; Shi, Liyong; Feathers, David; Wang, Ning

2015-06-05

High-temperatures in the cockpit environment can adversely influence pilot behavior and performance. To investigate the impact of high thermal environments on Chinese pilot performance in a simulated cockpit environment. Ten subjects volunteered to participate in the tests under 40°C and 45°C high-temperature simulations in an environmentally controlled chamber. Measures such as grip strength, perception, dexterity, somatic sense reaction, and analytical reasoning were taken. The results were compared to the Combined Index of Heat Stress (CIHS). CIHS exceeded the heat stress safety limit after 45 min under 40°C, grip strength decreased by 12% and somatic perception became 2.89 times larger than the initial value. In the case of 45°C, CIHS exceeded the safety limit after only 20 min, while the grip strength decreased just by 3.2% and somatic perception increased to 4.36 times larger than the initial value. Reaction and finger dexterity were not statistically different from baseline measurements, but the error rate of analytical reasoning test rose remarkably. Somatic perception was the most sensitive index to high-temperature, followed by grip strength. Results of this paper may help to improve environmental control design of new fighter cockpit and for pilot physiology and cockpit environment ergonomics research for Chinese pilots.

A simple interface to computational fluid dynamics programs for building environment simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Broderick, III, C R; Chen, Q [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States)

2000-07-01

It is becoming a popular practice for architects and HVAC engineers to simulate airflow in and around buildings by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods in order to predict indoor and outdoor environment. However, many CFD programs are crippled by a historically poor and inefficient user interface system, particularly for users with little training in numerical simulation. This investigation endeavors to create a simplified CFD interface (SCI) that allows architects and buildings engineers to use CFD without excessive training. The SCI can be easily integrated into new CFD programs. (author)

Acoustic emission from fuel pellets in a simulated reactor environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kupperman, D.S.; Kennedy, C.R.; Reimann, K.J.

1977-01-01

Thermal-shock damage of nuclear reactor fuel pellets in a simulated reactor environment has been correlated with acoustic-emission data obtained from sensors placed on extensions of the electrical feedthroughs. Ringdown counts, rms output data, and event-location data has been acquired for experiments carried out with single pellets as well as multiple pellet stacks. These tests have shown that acoustic-emission monitoring can provide information indicating the onset and the extent of cracking

USB HW/SW Co-Simulation Environment with Custom Test Tool Integration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grigor Y. Zargaryan

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This paper describes a new verification environment for USB 2.0 controller. New methodology is presented, where a co-simulation environment is used as one of the starting points for the embedded hardware/software development and as an accelerator of the overall design process. The verification environment is based on the device emulation/virtualization technique, using USB controller’s real register transfer level (RTL instead of models. This approach is functionally very close to the corresponding real-world devices and allows wider opportunities for hardware debugging. The new software utilities for USB host and device functionality testing are also presented. This tool allows generating custom tests by including various transfer types and modifying parameters such as data payload, interval, number of pipes, etc. It can be used for both hardware (HW and software (SW limitations characterization, as well as debugging.

Performance and Evaluation of the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office Observing System Simulation Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Prive, Nikki; Errico, R. M.; Carvalho, D.

2018-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (NASA/GMAO) has spent more than a decade developing and implementing a global Observing System Simulation Experiment framework for use in evaluting both new observation types as well as the behavior of data assimilation systems. The NASA/GMAO OSSE has constantly evolved to relect changes in the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation data assimiation system, the Global Earth Observing System model, version 5 (GEOS-5), and the real world observational network. Software and observational datasets for the GMAO OSSE are publicly available, along with a technical report. Substantial modifications have recently been made to the NASA/GMAO OSSE framework, including the character of synthetic observation errors, new instrument types, and more sophisticated atmospheric wind vectors. These improvements will be described, along with the overall performance of the current OSSE. Lessons learned from investigations into correlated errors and model error will be discussed.

Office of radiation and indoor air: Program description

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-06-01

The goal of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Radiation and Indoor Air is to protect the public and the environment from exposures to radiation and indoor air pollutants. The Office develops protection criteria, standards, and policies and works with other programs within EPA and other agencies to control radiation and indoor air pollution exposures; provides technical assistance to states through EPA's regional offices and other agencies having radiation and indoor air protection programs; directs an environmental radiation monitoring program; responds to radiological emergencies; and evaluates and assesses the overall risk and impact of radiation and indoor air pollution. The Office is EPA's lead office for intra- and interagency activities coordinated through the Committee for Indoor Air Quality. It coordinates with and assists the Office of Enforcement in enforcement activities where EPA has jurisdiction. The Office disseminates information and works with state and local governments, industry and professional groups, and citizens to promote actions to reduce exposures to harmful levels of radiation and indoor air pollutants

Construction of the quantitative analysis environment using Monte Carlo simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirakawa, Seiji; Ushiroda, Tomoya; Hashimoto, Hiroshi; Tadokoro, Masanori; Uno, Masaki; Tsujimoto, Masakazu; Ishiguro, Masanobu; Toyama, Hiroshi

2013-01-01

The thoracic phantom image was acquisitioned of the axial section to construct maps of the source and density with Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. The phantom was Heart/Liver Type HL (Kyoto Kagaku Co., Ltd.) single photon emission CT (SPECT)/CT machine was Symbia T6 (Siemence) with the collimator LMEGP (low-medium energy general purpose). Maps were constructed from CT images with an in-house software using Visual studio C Sharp (Microsoft). The code simulation of imaging nuclear detectors (SIMIND) was used for MC simulation, Prominence processor (Nihon Medi-Physics) for filter processing and image reconstruction, and the environment DELL Precision T7400 for all image processes. For the actual experiment, the phantom was given 15 MBq of 99m Tc assuming the uptake 2% at the dose of 740 MBq in its myocardial portion and SPECT image was acquisitioned and reconstructed with Butter-worth filter and filter back projection method. CT images were similarly obtained in 0.3 mm thick slices, which were filed in one formatted with digital imaging and communication in medicine (DICOM), and then processed for application to SIMIND for mapping the source and density. Physical and mensuration factors were examined in ideal images by sequential exclusion and simulation of those factors as attenuation, scattering, spatial resolution deterioration and statistical fluctuation. Gamma energy spectrum, SPECT projection and reconstructed images given by the simulation were found to well agree with the actual data, and the precision of MC simulation was confirmed. Physical and mensuration factors were found to be evaluable individually, suggesting the usefulness of the simulation for assessing the precision of their correction. (T.T.)

Using Blackboard Wiki Pages as a Shared Space for Simulating the Professional Translation Work Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Vine, Juliet

2015-01-01

The Work-Integrated Simulation for Translators module is part of a three year undergraduate degree in translation. The semester long module aims to simulate several aspects of the translation process using the Blackboard virtual learning environment's Wikis as the interface for completing translation tasks. For each translation task, one of the…

Feasibility study on mental healthcare using indoor plants for office workers

Science.gov (United States)

Kubota, Tsuyoshi; Matsumoto, Hiroshi; Genjo, Kaori; Nakano, Takaoki

2017-10-01

In recent years, it has become a problem that office workers' stresses affect their intellectual productivity. As one of strategies mitigating the stress while working, many studies on the effect of indoor plants introduced into the office have been conducted. The psychological and physiological effects of indoor plants have been expected to mitigate the office workers' stresses. Also, the effects of green amenities such as improvement of productivity, control of the indoor thermal environment, relaxation and recovery of visual fatigue, and improvement of air quality have been expected. In this study, a field investigation on the green amenity effects of indoor plants on office workers' psychological and physiological responses in an actual office was conducted and discussed. This paper describes the measurement results of the physical environment and workers' psychological and physiological responses under the condition with shelves installed with indoor plants in an office room. It was suggested that indoor plants such as mint, basil and begonia, and a combination of red and green plants were effective for mitigating worker's stresses.

GOOSE Version 1.4: A powerful object-oriented simulation environment for developing reactor models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nypaver, D.J.; March-Leuba, C.; Abdalla, M.A.; Guimaraes, L.

1992-01-01

A prototype software package for a fully interactive Generalized Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (GOOSE) is being developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Dynamic models are easily constructed and tested; fully interactive capabilities allow the user to alter model parameters and complexity without recompilation. This environment provides assess to powerful tools such as numerical integration packages, graphical displays, and online help. In GOOSE, portability has been achieved by creating the environment in Objective-C 1 , which is supported by a variety of platforms including UNIX and DOS. GOOSE Version 1.4 introduces new enhancements like the capability of creating ''initial,'' ''dynamic,'' and ''digital'' methods. The object-oriented approach to simulation used in GOOSE combines the concept of modularity with the additional features of allowing precompilation, optimization, testing, and validation of individual modules. Once a library of classes has been defined and compiled, models can be built and modified without recompilation. GOOSE Version 1.4 is primarily command-line driven

Thermal and fluid simulation of the environment under the dashboard, compared with measurement data

Science.gov (United States)

Popescu, C. S.; Sirbu, G. M.; Nita, I. C.

2017-10-01

The development of vehicles during the last decade is related to the evolution of electronic systems added in order to increase the safety and the number of services available on board, such as advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). Cars already have a complex computer network, with electronic control units (ECUs) connected to each other and receiving information from many sensors. The ECUs transfer an important heat power to the environment, while proper operating conditions need to be provided to ensure their reliability at high and low temperature, vibration and humidity. In a car cabin, electronic devices are usually placed in the compartment under the dashboard, an enclosed space designed for functional purposes. In the early stages of the vehicle design it has become necessary to analyse the environment under dashboard, by the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations and measurements. This paper presents the cooling of heat sinks by natural convection, a thermal and fluid simulation of the environment under the dashboard compared with test data.

How to avoid simulation sickness in virtual environments during user displacement

Science.gov (United States)

Kemeny, A.; Colombet, F.; Denoual, T.

2015-03-01

Driving simulation (DS) and Virtual Reality (VR) share the same technologies for visualization and 3D vision and may use the same technics for head movement tracking. They experience also similar difficulties when rendering the displacements of the observer in virtual environments, especially when these displacements are carried out using driver commands, including steering wheels, joysticks and nomad devices. High values for transport delay, the time lag between the action and the corresponding rendering cues and/or visual-vestibular conflict, due to the discrepancies perceived by the human visual and vestibular systems when driving or displacing using a control device, induces the so-called simulation sickness. While the visual transport delay can be efficiently reduced using high frequency frame rate, the visual-vestibular conflict is inherent to VR, when not using motion platforms. In order to study the impact of displacements on simulation sickness, we have tested various driving scenarios in Renault's 5-sided ultra-high resolution CAVE. First results indicate that low speed displacements with longitudinal and lateral accelerations under a given perception thresholds are well accepted by a large number of users and relatively high values are only accepted by experienced users and induce VR induced symptoms and effects (VRISE) for novice users, with a worst case scenario corresponding to rotational displacements. These results will be used for optimization technics at Arts et Métiers ParisTech for motion sickness reduction in virtual environments for industrial, research, educational or gaming applications.

Office Building Occupant's Guide to Indoor Air Quality

Science.gov (United States)

... about physical aspects of the workplace: location, work environment, availability of natural light and the aesthetics of office design, such ... people can do to ensure that their indoor environment is a healthy one. IAQ Building Education and Assessment Model (I-BEAM) : EPA's I-BEAM software program ...

A PC/workstation cluster computing environment for reservoir engineering simulation applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermes, C.E.; Koo, J.

1995-01-01

Like the rest of the petroleum industry, Texaco has been transferring its applications and databases from mainframes to PC's and workstations. This transition has been very positive because it provides an environment for integrating applications, increases end-user productivity, and in general reduces overall computing costs. On the down side, the transition typically results in a dramatic increase in workstation purchases and raises concerns regarding the cost and effective management of computing resources in this new environment. The workstation transition also places the user in a Unix computing environment which, to say the least, can be quite frustrating to learn and to use. This paper describes the approach, philosophy, architecture, and current status of the new reservoir engineering/simulation computing environment developed at Texaco's E and P Technology Dept. (EPTD) in Houston. The environment is representative of those under development at several other large oil companies and is based on a cluster of IBM and Silicon Graphics Intl. (SGI) workstations connected by a fiber-optics communications network and engineering PC's connected to local area networks, or Ethernets. Because computing resources and software licenses are shared among a group of users, the new environment enables the company to get more out of its investments in workstation hardware and software

Revealing Occupancy Patterns in Office Buildings Through the use of Annual Occupancy Sensor Data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carlos Duarte; Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg; Craig Rieger

2013-06-01

Energy simulation programs like DOE-2 and EnergyPlus are tools that have been proven to aid with energy calculations to predict energy use in buildings. Some inputs to energy simulation models are relatively easy to find, including building size, orientation, construction materials, and HVAC system size and type. Others vary with time (e.g. weather and occupancy) and some can be a challenge to estimate in order to create an accurate simulation. In this paper, the analysis of occupancy sensor data for a large commercial, multi-tenant office building is presented. It details occupancy diversity factors for private offices and summarizes the same for open offices, hallways, conference rooms, break rooms, and restrooms in order to better inform energy simulation parameters. Long-term data were collected allowing results to be presented to show variations of occupancy diversity factors in private offices for time of day, day of the week, holidays, and month of the year. The diversity factors presented differ as much as 46% from those currently published in ASHRAE 90.1 2004 energy cost method guidelines, a document referenced by energy modelers regarding occupancy diversity factors for simulations. This may result in misleading simulation results and may introduce inefficiencies in the final equipment and systems design.

Multispectral simulation environment for modeling low-light-level sensor systems

Science.gov (United States)

Ientilucci, Emmett J.; Brown, Scott D.; Schott, John R.; Raqueno, Rolando V.

1998-11-01

Image intensifying cameras have been found to be extremely useful in low-light-level (LLL) scenarios including military night vision and civilian rescue operations. These sensors utilize the available visible region photons and an amplification process to produce high contrast imagery. It has been demonstrated that processing techniques can further enhance the quality of this imagery. For example, fusion with matching thermal IR imagery can improve image content when very little visible region contrast is available. To aid in the improvement of current algorithms and the development of new ones, a high fidelity simulation environment capable of producing radiometrically correct multi-band imagery for low- light-level conditions is desired. This paper describes a modeling environment attempting to meet these criteria by addressing the task as two individual components: (1) prediction of a low-light-level radiance field from an arbitrary scene, and (2) simulation of the output from a low- light-level sensor for a given radiance field. The radiance prediction engine utilized in this environment is the Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Image Generation (DIRSIG) model which is a first principles based multi-spectral synthetic image generation model capable of producing an arbitrary number of bands in the 0.28 to 20 micrometer region. The DIRSIG model is utilized to produce high spatial and spectral resolution radiance field images. These images are then processed by a user configurable multi-stage low-light-level sensor model that applies the appropriate noise and modulation transfer function (MTF) at each stage in the image processing chain. This includes the ability to reproduce common intensifying sensor artifacts such as saturation and 'blooming.' Additionally, co-registered imagery in other spectral bands may be simultaneously generated for testing fusion and exploitation algorithms. This paper discusses specific aspects of the DIRSIG radiance prediction for low

Lighting energy efficiency in office buildings: Sri Lanka

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wijayatunga, Priyantha D.C.; Fernando, W.J.L.S.; Ranasinghe, S.

2003-01-01

This paper describes a study conducted in the lighting sector of office buildings as a part of a broader research study aimed at developing building codes for Sri Lanka addressing lighting as well as thermal comfort in order to optimise the use of electricity within these buildings. The study covered different tasks performed in office buildings and the optimum lighting levels required to perform these tasks in the office environment in Sri Lanka. Also, it included assessing the visual performance of people involved in different activities under varying illumination levels in a controlled environment and a comparison of these optimum lighting levels with international standards. It can be seen that the required optimum lighting levels are generally lower in Sri Lanka in comparison to specified standard levels, and this scenario is likely to be similar in other developing countries too. These findings clearly emphasise the need to adopt lighting standards most appropriate to local conditions, in turn helping improve the energy efficiency within buildings

A coarse-grained model for the simulations of biomolecular interactions in cellular environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie, Zhong-Ru; Chen, Jiawen; Wu, Yinghao

2014-01-01

The interactions of bio-molecules constitute the key steps of cellular functions. However, in vivo binding properties differ significantly from their in vitro measurements due to the heterogeneity of cellular environments. Here we introduce a coarse-grained model based on rigid-body representation to study how factors such as cellular crowding and membrane confinement affect molecular binding. The macroscopic parameters such as the equilibrium constant and the kinetic rate constant are calibrated by adjusting the microscopic coefficients used in the numerical simulations. By changing these model parameters that are experimentally approachable, we are able to study the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of molecular binding, as well as the effects caused by specific cellular environments. We investigate the volumetric effects of crowded intracellular space on bio-molecular diffusion and diffusion-limited reactions. Furthermore, the binding constants of membrane proteins are currently difficult to measure. We provide quantitative estimations about how the binding of membrane proteins deviates from soluble proteins under different degrees of membrane confinements. The simulation results provide biological insights to the functions of membrane receptors on cell surfaces. Overall, our studies establish a connection between the details of molecular interactions and the heterogeneity of cellular environments

Activation of nuclear transcription factor-kappaB in mouse brain induced by a simulated microgravity environment

Science.gov (United States)

Wise, Kimberly C.; Manna, Sunil K.; Yamauchi, Keiko; Ramesh, Vani; Wilson, Bobby L.; Thomas, Renard L.; Sarkar, Shubhashish; Kulkarni, Anil D.; Pellis, Neil R.; Ramesh, Govindarajan T.

2005-01-01

Microgravity induces inflammatory responses and modulates immune functions that may increase oxidative stress. Exposure to a microgravity environment induces adverse neurological effects; however, there is little research exploring the etiology of these effects resulting from exposure to such an environment. It is also known that spaceflight is associated with increase in oxidative stress; however, this phenomenon has not been reproduced in land-based simulated microgravity models. In this study, an attempt has been made to show the induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mice brain, using ground-based microgravity simulator. Increased ROS was observed in brain stem and frontal cortex with concomitant decrease in glutathione, on exposing mice to simulated microgravity for 7 d. Oxidative stress-induced activation of nuclear factor-kappaB was observed in all the regions of the brain. Moreover, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase was phosphorylated equally in all regions of the brain exposed to simulated microgravity. These results suggest that exposure of brain to simulated microgravity can induce expression of certain transcription factors, and these have been earlier argued to be oxidative stress dependent.

Akuna: An Open Source User Environment for Managing Subsurface Simulation Workflows

Science.gov (United States)

Freedman, V. L.; Agarwal, D.; Bensema, K.; Finsterle, S.; Gable, C. W.; Keating, E. H.; Krishnan, H.; Lansing, C.; Moeglein, W.; Pau, G. S. H.; Porter, E.; Scheibe, T. D.

2014-12-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is investing in development of a numerical modeling toolset called ASCEM (Advanced Simulation Capability for Environmental Management) to support modeling analyses at legacy waste sites. ASCEM is an open source and modular computing framework that incorporates new advances and tools for predicting contaminant fate and transport in natural and engineered systems. The ASCEM toolset includes both a Platform with Integrated Toolsets (called Akuna) and a High-Performance Computing multi-process simulator (called Amanzi). The focus of this presentation is on Akuna, an open-source user environment that manages subsurface simulation workflows and associated data and metadata. In this presentation, key elements of Akuna are demonstrated, which includes toolsets for model setup, database management, sensitivity analysis, parameter estimation, uncertainty quantification, and visualization of both model setup and simulation results. A key component of the workflow is in the automated job launching and monitoring capabilities, which allow a user to submit and monitor simulation runs on high-performance, parallel computers. Visualization of large outputs can also be performed without moving data back to local resources. These capabilities make high-performance computing accessible to the users who might not be familiar with batch queue systems and usage protocols on different supercomputers and clusters.

Designing EvoRoom: An Immersive Simulation Environment for Collective Inquiry in Secondary Science

Science.gov (United States)

Lui, Michelle Mei Yee

This dissertation investigates the design of complex inquiry for co-located students to work as a knowledge community within a mixed-reality learning environment. It presents the design of an immersive simulation called EvoRoom and corresponding collective inquiry activities that allow students to explore concepts around topics of evolution and biodiversity in a Grade 11 Biology course. EvoRoom is a room-sized simulation of a rainforest, modeled after Borneo in Southeast Asia, where several projected displays are stitched together to form a large, animated simulation on each opposing wall of the room. This serves to create an immersive environment in which students work collaboratively as individuals, in small groups and a collective community to investigate science topics using the simulations as an evidentiary base. Researchers and a secondary science teacher co-designed a multi-week curriculum that prepared students with preliminary ideas and expertise, then provided them with guided activities within EvoRoom, supported by tablet-based software as well as larger visualizations of their collective progress. Designs encompassed the broader curriculum, as well as all EvoRoom materials (e.g., projected displays, student tablet interfaces, collective visualizations) and activity sequences. This thesis describes a series of three designs that were developed and enacted iteratively over two and a half years, presenting key features that enhanced students' experiences within the immersive environment, their interactions with peers, and their inquiry outcomes. Primary research questions are concerned with the nature of effective design for such activities and environments, and the kinds of interactions that are seen at the individual, collaborative and whole-class levels. The findings fall under one of three themes: 1) the physicality of the room, 2) the pedagogical script for student observation and reflection and collaboration, and 3) ways of including collective

The effects of the aircraft cabin environment on passengers during simulated flights

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Strøm-Tejsen, Peter

2007-01-01

enables subjective assessments of the symptoms commonly experienced by passengers and crew during flights. Six investigations with subject exposure have subsequently been carried out in the aircraft cabin facility covering four environmental areas of study, i.e. humidity, air purification techniques...... but intensified complaints of headache, dizziness and claustrophobia, suggesting that air pollutants rather than low humidity cause the distress reported by airline passengers. Three investigations studying the efficacy of various air purification technologies showed that a gas phase adsorption purification unit......A 3-row, 21-seat section of a simulated Boeing 767 aircraft cabin has been built in a climate chamber, simulating the cabin environment not only in terms of materials and geometry, but also in terms of cabin air and wall temperatures and ventilation with very dry air. This realistic simulation...

Quantifying Pollutant Emissions from Office Equipment Phase IReport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maddalena, R.L.; Destaillats, H.; Hodgson, A.T.; McKone, T.E.; Perino, C.

2006-12-01

Although office equipment has been a focal point for governmental efforts to promote energy efficiency through programs such as Energy Star, little is known about the relationship between office equipment use and indoor air quality. This report provides results of the first phase (Phase I) of a study in which the primary objective is to measure emissions of organic pollutants and particulate matter from a selected set of office equipment typically used in residential and office environments. The specific aims of the overall research effort are: (1) use screening-level measurements to identify and quantify the concentrations of air pollutants of interest emitted by major categories of distributed office equipment in a controlled environment; (2) quantify the emissions of air pollutants from generally representative, individual machines within each of the major categories in a controlled chamber environment using well defined protocols; (3) characterize the effects of ageing and use on emissions for individual machines spanning several categories; (4) evaluate the importance of operational factors that can be manipulated to reduce pollutant emissions from office machines; and (5) explore the potential relationship between energy consumption and pollutant emissions for machines performing equivalent tasks. The study includes desktop computers (CPU units), computer monitors, and three categories of desktop printing devices. The printer categories are: (1) printers and multipurpose devices using color inkjet technology; (2) low- to medium output printers and multipurpose devices employing monochrome or color laser technology; and (3) high-output monochrome and color laser printers. The literature review and screening level experiments in Phase 1 were designed to identify substances of toxicological significance for more detailed study. In addition, these screening level measurements indicate the potential relative importance of different categories of office equipment

Learning environment simulator: a tool for local decision makers and first responders

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leclaire, Rene J [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Hirsch, Gary B [CLE, INCORPORATED

2009-01-01

The National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center (NISAC) has developed a prototype learning environment simulator (LES) based on the Critical Infrastructure Protection Decision Support System (CIPDSS) infrastructure and scenario models. The LES is designed to engage decision makers at the grass-roots level (local/city/state) to deepen their understanding of an evolving crisis, enhance their intuition and allow them to test their own strategies for events before they occur. An initial version is being developed, centered on a pandemic influenza outbreak and has been successfully tested with a group of hospital administrators and first responders. LES is not a predictive tool but rather a simulated environment allowing the user to experience the complexities of a crisis before it happens. Users can contrast various approaches to the crisis, competing with alternative strategies of their own or other participants. LES is designed to assist decision makers in making informed choices by functionally representing relevant scenarios before they occur, including impacts to critical infrastructures with their interdependencies, and estimating human health & safety and economic impacts. In this paper a brief overview of the underlying models are given followed by a description of the LES, its interface and usage and an overview of the experience testing LES with a group of hospital administrators and first responders. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the work remaining to make LES operational.

Simulation of the space debris environment in LEO using a simplified approach

Science.gov (United States)

Kebschull, Christopher; Scheidemann, Philipp; Hesselbach, Sebastian; Radtke, Jonas; Braun, Vitali; Krag, H.; Stoll, Enrico

2017-01-01

Several numerical approaches exist to simulate the evolution of the space debris environment. These simulations usually rely on the propagation of a large population of objects in order to determine the collision probability for each object. Explosion and collision events are triggered randomly using a Monte-Carlo (MC) approach. So in many different scenarios different objects are fragmented and contribute to a different version of the space debris environment. The results of the single Monte-Carlo runs therefore represent the whole spectrum of possible evolutions of the space debris environment. For the comparison of different scenarios, in general the average of all MC runs together with its standard deviation is used. This method is computationally very expensive due to the propagation of thousands of objects over long timeframes and the application of the MC method. At the Institute of Space Systems (IRAS) a model capable of describing the evolution of the space debris environment has been developed and implemented. The model is based on source and sink mechanisms, where yearly launches as well as collisions and explosions are considered as sources. The natural decay and post mission disposal measures are the only sink mechanisms. This method reduces the computational costs tremendously. In order to achieve this benefit a few simplifications have been applied. The approach of the model partitions the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) region into altitude shells. Only two kinds of objects are considered, intact bodies and fragments, which are also divided into diameter bins. As an extension to a previously presented model the eccentricity has additionally been taken into account with 67 eccentricity bins. While a set of differential equations has been implemented in a generic manner, the Euler method was chosen to integrate the equations for a given time span. For this paper parameters have been derived so that the model is able to reflect the results of the numerical MC

Market Garden: a Simulation Environment for Research and User Experience in Smart Grids

NARCIS (Netherlands)

B.J. Liefers (Bart); F.N. Claessen (Felix); E.J. Pauwels (Eric); P.A.N. Bosman (Peter); J.A. La Poutré (Han)

2014-01-01

htmlabstractMarket Garden is a scalable research environment and demonstration tool, in which market mechanisms for smart energy systems and the interaction between end users, traders, system operators, and markets can be simulated. Users can create scenarios in a user-friendly editor in which a

LEADSTO: a Language and Environment for Analysis of Dynamics by SimulaTiOn

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosse, T.; Jonker, C.M.; van der Meij, L.; Treur, J.

2005-01-01

This paper presents the language and software environment LEADSTO that has been developed to model and simulate the dynamics of Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) in terms of both qualitative and quantitative concepts. The LEADSTO language is a declarative order-sorted temporal language, extended with

Simulation of GNSS reflected signals and estimation of position accuracy in GNSS-challenged environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Jakob; Jensen, Anna B. O.; Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg

2015-01-01

non-line-of-sight satellites. The signal reflections are implemented using the extended geometric path length of the signal path caused by reflections from the surrounding buildings. Based on real GPS satellite positions, simulated Galileo satellite positions, models of atmospheric effect...... on the satellite signals, designs of representative environments e.g. urban and rural scenarios, and a method to simulate reflection of satellite signals within the environment we are able to estimate the position accuracy given several prerequisites as described in the paper. The result is a modelling...... of the signal path from satellite to receiver, the satellite availability, the extended pseudoranges caused by signal reflection, and an estimate of the position accuracy based on a least squares adjustment of the extended pseudoranges. The paper describes the models and algorithms used and a verification test...

Inauguration of the Moscow-based office of GRS/IPSN-RISKAUDIT by the Federal German Minister of the Environment, Mr. Klaus Toepfer, and the Minister of Industry, Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-02-01

The German and the French Government as well as the EC are taking particular interest in cooperative activities with the Russian Federation in the field of reactor safety enhancement and protection of the environment. The existing cooperation is expected to be intensified by the establishment of a common office in Moscow. The organisation, tasks and financing scheme of the RISKAUDIT office are explained in the languages German, Russian and French. (HP) [de

Comparison of discrete event simulation tools in an academic environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Jadrić

2014-12-01

Full Text Available A new research model for simulation software evaluation is proposed consisting of three main categories of criteria: modeling and simulation capabilities of the explored tools, and tools’ input/output analysis possibilities, all with respective sub-criteria. Using the presented model, two discrete event simulation tools are evaluated in detail using the task-centred scenario. Both tools (Arena and ExtendSim were used for teaching discrete event simulation in preceding academic years. With the aim to inspect their effectiveness and to help us determine which tool is more suitable for students i.e. academic purposes, we used a simple simulation model of entities competing for limited resources. The main goal was to measure subjective (primarily attitude and objective indicators while using the tools when the same simulation scenario is given. The subjects were first year students of Master studies in Information Management at the Faculty of Economics in Split taking a course in Business Process Simulations (BPS. In a controlled environment – in a computer lab, two groups of students were given detailed, step-by-step instructions for building models using both tools - first using ExtendSim then Arena or vice versa. Subjective indicators (students’ attitudes were collected using an online survey completed immediately upon building each model. Subjective indicators primarily include students’ personal estimations of Arena and ExtendSim capabilities/features for model building, model simulation and result analysis. Objective indicators were measured using specialised software that logs information on user's behavior while performing a particular task on their computer such as distance crossed by mouse during model building, the number of mouse clicks, usage of the mouse wheel and speed achieved. The results indicate that ExtendSim is well preferred comparing to Arena with regards to subjective indicators while the objective indicators are

Advanced Simulation and Computing Business Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rummel, E. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2015-07-09

To maintain a credible nuclear weapons program, the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA’s) Office of Defense Programs (DP) needs to make certain that the capabilities, tools, and expert staff are in place and are able to deliver validated assessments. This requires a complete and robust simulation environment backed by an experimental program to test ASC Program models. This ASC Business Plan document encapsulates a complex set of elements, each of which is essential to the success of the simulation component of the Nuclear Security Enterprise. The ASC Business Plan addresses the hiring, mentoring, and retaining of programmatic technical staff responsible for building the simulation tools of the nuclear security complex. The ASC Business Plan describes how the ASC Program engages with industry partners—partners upon whom the ASC Program relies on for today’s and tomorrow’s high performance architectures. Each piece in this chain is essential to assure policymakers, who must make decisions based on the results of simulations, that they are receiving all the actionable information they need.

Optimizing NEURON Simulation Environment Using Remote Memory Access with Recursive Doubling on Distributed Memory Systems

OpenAIRE

Shehzad, Danish; Bozkuş, Zeki

2016-01-01

Increase in complexity of neuronal network models escalated the efforts to make NEURON simulation environment efficient. The computational neuroscientists divided the equations into subnets amongst multiple processors for achieving better hardware performance. On parallel machines for neuronal networks, interprocessor spikes exchange consumes large section of overall simulation time. In NEURON for communication between processors Message Passing Interface (MPI) is used. MPI_Allgather collecti...

Light Pipe Transporter for High-rise Office Building in Tropical Climate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher Yii Sern Heng

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Daylight has known to bring benefits for human, psychologically and physiologically. It also provides better indoor environment quality and thus increase the performance and productivity of office workers as stated by Paevere (2009. However, due to economic reasons, the current practice of using deep open plan building has cause a dent to having daylight in the interior spaces, which cause a dependency on artificial lighting. Hence, to provide daylight in deep interior, light distribution system is needed. Although so, according to Hansen (2003, most of the systems can only illuminate up to 8m-10m depth. Therefore, light pipe (LP plays an essential role where it can illuminate up to 20m depth. LP’s efficiency depends on the 3 main components; collector, transporter and extractor. This research explores the effectiveness of horizontal LP through different type of transporter’s shapes which includes rectangular, triangular, square and semi-circle. Previous studies have shown differences of efficiency on the shaped while using vertical LP. This research’s analysis was done using a computer simulation, Integrated Environment Solution: Virtual Environment (IESVE, where DF of each shapes were compared to MS 1525:2007 benchmark. The viability of the software was also validated though an assessment with a physical scaled-model experiment that was conducted in an open car park in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia. The results from the simulation showed that semi-circle shaped transporter offered the same efficiency as rectangular shaped. These findings will promote the usage of LP in buildings as it decreases the costing for LP.

Numerical Simulation of Blast Action on Civil Structures in Urban Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Valger, Svetlana A.; Fedorova, Natalya N.; Fedorov, Alexander V.

2017-10-01

Nowadays, a lot of industrial accidents accompanied by explosions are happening throughout the world. Also, increase in the number of terrorist acts committed by means of explosions is observed. For improving safety of buildings and structures it is necessary to raise their resistance to explosive effects, as well as to be able to predict degree of potential damage upon explosive loads of various intensities. One of the principal goals in designing the structure resistant to explosive effects is to determine the dynamic response of structures to the impact of the blast wave. To this end, the transient pressure loads on the walls of the civil engineering structures are to be determined. The simulation of explosion is highly complicated, involving an explosion causing the shock wave propagation in air and then interaction with a structure. The engineering-level techniques permit one to estimate an explosive shock impact only for isolated buildings. The complexity of the building, the presence of nearby structures and the surrounding environment cannot be taken into account. Advanced computer aid engineering (CAE) software techniques combined with the latest methods of discrete three-dimensional city modelling permits one to simulate and analyse the effects of explosions in urban areas with a precision which previously was not possible. In the paper, the simulation results are presented of shock wave forming due to a spherical explosive charge and its propagation in the vicinity of geometrical configuration imitating an urban environment. The numerical simulation of a flow in the vicinity of prisms of different cross-sections and heights located on a flat plate was performed. The calculations are carried out in a three-dimensional non-viscous formulation using ANSYS software. On a basis of simulation results, a complex wave structures were analysed, and all the peculiarities of flows and pressure history records on building walls were described and explained. The

Flight Simulation of ARES in the Mars Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Kenney, P. Sean; Croom, Mark A.

2011-01-01

A report discusses using the Aerial Regional- scale Environmental Survey (ARES) light airplane as an observation platform on Mars in order to gather data. It would have to survive insertion into the atmosphere, fly long enough to meet science objectives, and provide a stable platform. The feasibility of such a platform was tested using the Langley Standard Real- Time Simulation in C++. The unique features of LaSRS++ are: full, six-degrees- of-freedom flight simulation that can be used to evaluate the performance of the aircraft in the Martian environment; capability of flight analysis from start to finish; support of Monte Carlo analysis of aircraft performance; and accepting initial conditions from POST results for the entry and deployment of the entry body. Starting with a general aviation model, the design was tweaked to maintain a stable aircraft under expected Martian conditions. Outer mold lines were adjusted based on experience with the Martian atmosphere. Flight control was modified from a vertical acceleration control law to an angle-of-attack control law. Navigation was modified from a vertical acceleration control system to an alpha control system. In general, a pattern of starting with simple models with well-understood behaviors was selected and modified during testing.

An expert system for automatic mesh generation for Sn particle transport simulation in parallel environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Apisit, Patchimpattapong; Alireza, Haghighat; Shedlock, D.

2003-01-01

An expert system for generating an effective mesh distribution for the SN particle transport simulation has been developed. This expert system consists of two main parts: 1) an algorithm for generating an effective mesh distribution in a serial environment, and 2) an algorithm for inference of an effective domain decomposition strategy for parallel computing. For the first part, the algorithm prepares an effective mesh distribution considering problem physics and the spatial differencing scheme. For the second part, the algorithm determines a parallel-performance-index (PPI), which is defined as the ratio of the granularity to the degree-of-coupling. The parallel-performance-index provides expected performance of an algorithm depending on computing environment and resources. A large index indicates a high granularity algorithm with relatively low coupling among processors. This expert system has been successfully tested within the PENTRAN (Parallel Environment Neutral-Particle Transport) code system for simulating real-life shielding problems. (authors)

An expert system for automatic mesh generation for Sn particle transport simulation in parallel environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Apisit, Patchimpattapong [Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, Office of Corporate Planning, Bangkruai, Nonthaburi (Thailand); Alireza, Haghighat; Shedlock, D. [Florida Univ., Department of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, Gainesville, FL (United States)

2003-07-01

An expert system for generating an effective mesh distribution for the SN particle transport simulation has been developed. This expert system consists of two main parts: 1) an algorithm for generating an effective mesh distribution in a serial environment, and 2) an algorithm for inference of an effective domain decomposition strategy for parallel computing. For the first part, the algorithm prepares an effective mesh distribution considering problem physics and the spatial differencing scheme. For the second part, the algorithm determines a parallel-performance-index (PPI), which is defined as the ratio of the granularity to the degree-of-coupling. The parallel-performance-index provides expected performance of an algorithm depending on computing environment and resources. A large index indicates a high granularity algorithm with relatively low coupling among processors. This expert system has been successfully tested within the PENTRAN (Parallel Environment Neutral-Particle Transport) code system for simulating real-life shielding problems. (authors)

Simulating cloud environment for HIS backup using secret sharing.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuroda, Tomohiro; Kimura, Eizen; Matsumura, Yasushi; Yamashita, Yoshinori; Hiramatsu, Haruhiko; Kume, Naoto

2013-01-01

In the face of a disaster hospitals are expected to be able to continue providing efficient and high-quality care to patients. It is therefore crucial for hospitals to develop business continuity plans (BCPs) that identify their vulnerabilities, and prepare procedures to overcome them. A key aspect of most hospitals' BCPs is creating the backup of the hospital information system (HIS) data at multiple remote sites. However, the need to keep the data confidential dramatically increases the costs of making such backups. Secret sharing is a method to split an original secret message so that individual pieces are meaningless, but putting sufficient number of pieces together reveals the original message. It allows creation of pseudo-redundant arrays of independent disks for privacy-sensitive data over the Internet. We developed a secret sharing environment for StarBED, a large-scale network experiment environment, and evaluated its potential and performance during disaster recovery. Simulation results showed that the entire main HIS database of Kyoto University Hospital could be retrieved within three days even if one of the distributed storage systems crashed during a disaster.

Simulation environment based on the Universal Verification Methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiergolski, A.

2017-01-01

Universal Verification Methodology (UVM) is a standardized approach of verifying integrated circuit designs, targeting a Coverage-Driven Verification (CDV). It combines automatic test generation, self-checking testbenches, and coverage metrics to indicate progress in the design verification. The flow of the CDV differs from the traditional directed-testing approach. With the CDV, a testbench developer, by setting the verification goals, starts with an structured plan. Those goals are targeted further by a developed testbench, which generates legal stimuli and sends them to a device under test (DUT). The progress is measured by coverage monitors added to the simulation environment. In this way, the non-exercised functionality can be identified. Moreover, the additional scoreboards indicate undesired DUT behaviour. Such verification environments were developed for three recent ASIC and FPGA projects which have successfully implemented the new work-flow: (1) the CLICpix2 65 nm CMOS hybrid pixel readout ASIC design; (2) the C3PD 180 nm HV-CMOS active sensor ASIC design; (3) the FPGA-based DAQ system of the CLICpix chip. This paper, based on the experience from the above projects, introduces briefly UVM and presents a set of tips and advices applicable at different stages of the verification process-cycle.

Simulation of machine-maintenance training in virtual environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshikawa, Hidekazu; Tezuka, Tetsuo; Kashiwa, Ken-ichiro; Ishii, Hirotake

1997-01-01

The periodical inspection of nuclear power plants needs a lot of workforces with a high degree of technical skill for the maintenance of various sorts of machines. Therefore, a new type of maintenance training system is required, where trainees can get training safely, easily and effectively. In this study we developed a training simulation system for disassembling a check valve in virtual environment (VE). The features of this system are as follows: Firstly, the trainees can execute tasks even in wrong order, and can experience the resultant conditions. In order to realize this environment, we developed a new Petri-net model for representing the objects' states in VE. This Petri-net model has several original characteristics, which make it easier to manage the change of the objects' states. Furthermore, we made a support system for constructing the Petri-net model of machine-disassembling training, because the Petri-net model is apt to become of large size. The effectiveness of this support system is shown through the system development. Secondly, this system can perform appropriate tasks to be done next in VE whenever the trainee wants even after some mistakes have been made. The effectiveness of this function has also been confirmed by experiments. (author)

Drawing-Based Simulation for Primary School Science Education: An Experimental Study of the GearSketch Learning Environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leenaars, Frank; van Joolingen, Wouter; Gijlers, Aaltje H.; Bollen, Lars

2012-01-01

Touch screen computers are rapidly becoming available to millions of students. These devices make the implementation of drawing-based simulation environments like Gear Sketch possible. This study shows that primary school students who received simulation-based support in a drawing-based learning

Uniaxial low cycle fatigue behavior for pre-corroded 16MND5 bainitic steel in simulated pressurized water reactor environment

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xu; Ren, Bin; Yu, Dunji; Xu, Bin; Zhang, Zhe; Chen, Gang

2018-06-01

The effects of uniaxial tension properties and low cycle fatigue behavior of 16MND5 bainitic steel cylinder pre-corroded in simulated pressurized water reactor (PWR) were investigated by fatigue at room temperature in air and immersion test system, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy disperse spectroscopy (EDS). The experimental results indicated that the corrosion fatigue lives of 16MND5 specimen were significantly affected by the strain amplitude and simulated PWR environments. The compositions of corrosion products were complexly formed in simulated PWR environments. The porous corrosion surface of pre-corroded materials tended to generate pits as a result of promoting contact area to the fresh metal, which promoted crack initiation. For original materials, the fatigue cracks initiated at inclusions imbedded in the micro-cracks. Moreover, the simulated PWR environments degraded the mechanical properties and low cycle fatigue behavior of 16MND5 specimens remarkably. Pre-corrosion of 16MND5 specimen mainly affected the plastic term of the Coffin-Manson equation.

A Novel CPU/GPU Simulation Environment for Large-Scale Biologically-Realistic Neural Modeling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roger V Hoang

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Computational Neuroscience is an emerging field that provides unique opportunities to studycomplex brain structures through realistic neural simulations. However, as biological details are added tomodels, the execution time for the simulation becomes longer. Graphics Processing Units (GPUs are now being utilized to accelerate simulations due to their ability to perform computations in parallel. As such, they haveshown significant improvement in execution time compared to Central Processing Units (CPUs. Most neural simulators utilize either multiple CPUs or a single GPU for better performance, but still show limitations in execution time when biological details are not sacrificed. Therefore, we present a novel CPU/GPU simulation environment for large-scale biological networks,the NeoCortical Simulator version 6 (NCS6. NCS6 is a free, open-source, parallelizable, and scalable simula-tor, designed to run on clusters of multiple machines, potentially with high performance computing devicesin each of them. It has built-in leaky-integrate-and-fire (LIF and Izhikevich (IZH neuron models, but usersalso have the capability to design their own plug-in interface for different neuron types as desired. NCS6is currently able to simulate one million cells and 100 million synapses in quasi real time by distributing dataacross these heterogeneous clusters of CPUs and GPUs.

Influence of a controlled environment simulating an in-flight airplane cabin on dry eye disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Tesón, Marisa; González-García, María J; López-Miguel, Alberto; Enríquez-de-Salamanca, Amalia; Martín-Montañez, Vicente; Benito, María Jesús; Mateo, María Eugenia; Stern, Michael E; Calonge, Margarita

2013-03-01

To evaluate symptoms, signs, and the levels of 16 tears inflammatory mediators of dry eye (DE) patients exposed to an environment simulating an in-flight air cabin in an environmental chamber. Twenty DE patients were exposed to controlled environment simulating an in-flight airplane cabin (simulated in-flight condition [SIC]) of 23°C, 5% relative humidity, localized air flow, and 750 millibars (mb) of barometric pressure. As controls, 15 DE patients were subjected to a simulated standard condition (SSC) of 23°C, 45% relative humidity, and 930 mb. A DE symptoms questionnaire, diagnostic tests, and determination of 16 tear molecules by multiplex bead array were performed before and 2 hours after exposure. After SIC exposure, DE patients became more symptomatic, suffered a significant (P ≤ 0.05) decrease in tear stability (tear break up time) (from 2.18 ± 0.28 to 1.53 ± 0.20), and tear volume (phenol red thread test), and a significant (P ≤ 0.05) increase in corneal staining, both globally (0.50 ± 0.14 before and 1.25 ± 0.19 after) and in each area (Baylor scale). After SSC, DE patients only showed a mild, but significant (P ≤ 0.05), increase in central and inferior corneal staining. Consistently, tear levels of IL-6 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 significantly increased and tear epidermal growth factor (EGF) significantly decreased (P ≤ 0.05) only after SIC. The controlled adverse environment conditions in this environmental chamber can simulate the conditions in which DE patients might be exposed during flight. As this clearly impaired their lacrimal functional unit, it would be advisable that DE patients use therapeutic strategies capable of ameliorating these adverse episodes.

Study on Photon Transport Problem Based on the Platform of Molecular Optical Simulation Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuan Peng

2010-01-01

Full Text Available As an important molecular imaging modality, optical imaging has attracted increasing attention in the recent years. Since the physical experiment is usually complicated and expensive, research methods based on simulation platforms have obtained extensive attention. We developed a simulation platform named Molecular Optical Simulation Environment (MOSE to simulate photon transport in both biological tissues and free space for optical imaging based on noncontact measurement. In this platform, Monte Carlo (MC method and the hybrid radiosity-radiance theorem are used to simulate photon transport in biological tissues and free space, respectively, so both contact and noncontact measurement modes of optical imaging can be simulated properly. In addition, a parallelization strategy for MC method is employed to improve the computational efficiency. In this paper, we study the photon transport problems in both biological tissues and free space using MOSE. The results are compared with Tracepro, simplified spherical harmonics method (SPn, and physical measurement to verify the performance of our study method on both accuracy and efficiency.

Study on photon transport problem based on the platform of molecular optical simulation environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Kuan; Gao, Xinbo; Liang, Jimin; Qu, Xiaochao; Ren, Nunu; Chen, Xueli; Ma, Bin; Tian, Jie

2010-01-01

As an important molecular imaging modality, optical imaging has attracted increasing attention in the recent years. Since the physical experiment is usually complicated and expensive, research methods based on simulation platforms have obtained extensive attention. We developed a simulation platform named Molecular Optical Simulation Environment (MOSE) to simulate photon transport in both biological tissues and free space for optical imaging based on noncontact measurement. In this platform, Monte Carlo (MC) method and the hybrid radiosity-radiance theorem are used to simulate photon transport in biological tissues and free space, respectively, so both contact and noncontact measurement modes of optical imaging can be simulated properly. In addition, a parallelization strategy for MC method is employed to improve the computational efficiency. In this paper, we study the photon transport problems in both biological tissues and free space using MOSE. The results are compared with Tracepro, simplified spherical harmonics method (SP(n)), and physical measurement to verify the performance of our study method on both accuracy and efficiency.

Analysis of the Thermo-Elastic Response of Space Reflectors to Simulated Space Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Allegri, G.; Ivagnes, M. M.; Marchetti, M.; Poscente, F.

2002-01-01

The evaluation of space environment effects on materials and structures is a key matter to develop a proper design of long duration missions: since a large part of satellites operating in the earth orbital environment are employed for telecommunications, the development of space antennas and reflectors featured by high dimensional stability versus space environment interactions represents a major challenge for designers. The structural layout of state of the art space antennas and reflectors is very complex, since several different sensible elements and materials are employed: particular care must be placed in evaluating the actual geometrical configuration of the reflectors operating in the space environment, since very limited distortions of the designed layout can produce severe effects on the quality of the signal both received and transmitted, especially for antennas operating at high frequencies. The effects of thermal loads due to direct sunlight exposition and to earth and moon albedo can be easily taken into account employing the standard methods of structural analysis: on the other hand the thermal cycling and the exposition to the vacuum environment produce a long term damage accumulation which affects the whole structure. The typical effects of the just mentioned exposition are the outgassing of polymeric materials and the contamination of the exposed surface, which can affect sensibly the thermo-mechanical properties of the materials themselves and, therefore, the structural global response. The main aim of the present paper is to evaluate the synergistic effects of thermal cycling and of the exposition to high vacuum environment on an innovative antenna developed by Alenia Spazio S.p.a.: to this purpose, both an experimental and numerical research activity has been developed. A complete prototype of the antenna has been exposed to the space environment simulated by the SAS facility: this latter is constituted by an high vacuum chamber, equipped by

The influence of dry eye and office environment on visual functioning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Tilborg, M.A.; Kort, Helianthe; Murphy, P.; Evans, K.; Sik-Lányi, C.; Hoogerwerf, E.-J.; Miesenberger, K.; Cudd, P.

2015-01-01

Environmental factors, such as high airflow and low relative humidity, are known to promote dry eye symptoms during reading tasks in office workers. These symptoms are associated with an adverse impact on daily activities at work. This study reports on the relationship between eye symptoms and

Reducing Risks of Arctic Operations with Ice Simulator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Koponen

2015-09-01

Full Text Available During the process of development of the Full Mission Bridge Simulator, I have come in to a conclusion that an important part of a successful learning process is the ability to train with a high fidelity bridge simulator. The Polar areas are harsh environments and to survive there, one must have special training and experience. This surviving means that the polar ecosystem will survive from pollution and the vessels and their crew from the bad judgments or misconduct of vessel operators. The most cost-effective way to improve special skills needed in the Polar waters is to include bridge simulator training to the Deck Officers requirements. In this paper I will introduce a real life situation in which an icebreaker assisting a merchant vessel gets into a “close call” situation and how this was handled. Maritime industry hasn’t studied much about the influence simulator training has to the navigators. Here the maritime industry could learn from aviation and medical industry, since they have done some extensive scientific studies to prove the need for simulators.

A 3D visualization approach for process training in office environments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aysolmaz, Banu; Brown, Ross; Bruza, Peter; Reijers, Hajo A.

2016-01-01

Process participants need to learn how to perform in the context of their business processes. Process training is challenging due to cognitive difficulties in relating process model elements to real world concepts. In this paper we present a 3D VirtualWorld (VW) process training approach for office

Multiuser MIMO Channel Measurements and Performance in a Large Office Environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bauch, Gerhard; Andersen, Jørgen Bach; Guthy, Christian

2007-01-01

We consider a multiuser MIMO-OFDMA scheme which exploits multiuser diversity in all dimensions: time, frequency and space. The main contribution of this paper is the evaluation and explanation of multiuser MIMO in a real world scenario, i.e. a large office room, based on measured channels. We rep...

Modeling and Simulation of Renewable Hybrid Power System using Matlab Simulink Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristian Dragoş Dumitru

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the modeling of a solar-wind-hydroelectric hybrid system in Matlab/Simulink environment. The application is useful for analysis and simulation of a real hybrid solar-wind-hydroelectric system connected to a public grid. Application is built on modular architecture to facilitate easy study of each component module influence. Blocks like wind model, solar model, hydroelectric model, energy conversion and load are implemented and the results of simulation are also presented. As an example, one of the most important studies is the behavior of hybrid system which allows employing renewable and variable in time energy sources while providing a continuous supply. Application represents a useful tool in research activity and also in teaching

Evidence-based ergonomics. A comparison of Japanese and American office layouts.

Science.gov (United States)

Noro, Kageyu; Fujimaki, Goroh; Kishi, Shinsuke

2003-01-01

There is a variety of alternatives in office layouts. Yet the theoretical basis and criteria for predicting how well these layouts accommodate employees are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate criteria for selecting office layouts. Intensive computer workers worked in simulated office layouts in a controlled experimental laboratory. Eye movement measures indicate that knowledge work requires both concentration and interaction. Findings pointed to one layout as providing optimum balance between these 2 requirements. Recommendations for establishing a theoretical basis and design criteria for selecting office layouts based on work style are suggested.

Flexible Environments for Grand-Challenge Simulation in Climate Science

Science.gov (United States)

Pierrehumbert, R.; Tobis, M.; Lin, J.; Dieterich, C.; Caballero, R.

2004-12-01

Current climate models are monolithic codes, generally in Fortran, aimed at high-performance simulation of the modern climate. Though they adequately serve their designated purpose, they present major barriers to application in other problems. Tailoring them to paleoclimate of planetary simulations, for instance, takes months of work. Theoretical studies, where one may want to remove selected processes or break feedback loops, are similarly hindered. Further, current climate models are of little value in education, since the implementation of textbook concepts and equations in the code is obscured by technical detail. The Climate Systems Center at the University of Chicago seeks to overcome these limitations by bringing modern object-oriented design into the business of climate modeling. Our ultimate goal is to produce an end-to-end modeling environment capable of configuring anything from a simple single-column radiative-convective model to a full 3-D coupled climate model using a uniform, flexible interface. Technically, the modeling environment is implemented as a Python-based software component toolkit: key number-crunching procedures are implemented as discrete, compiled-language components 'glued' together and co-ordinated by Python, combining the high performance of compiled languages and the flexibility and extensibility of Python. We are incrementally working towards this final objective following a series of distinct, complementary lines. We will present an overview of these activities, including PyOM, a Python-based finite-difference ocean model allowing run-time selection of different Arakawa grids and physical parameterizations; CliMT, an atmospheric modeling toolkit providing a library of 'legacy' radiative, convective and dynamical modules which can be knitted into dynamical models, and PyCCSM, a version of NCAR's Community Climate System Model in which the coupler and run-control architecture are re-implemented in Python, augmenting its flexibility

Daylight artificial light and people in an office environment, overview of visual and biological responses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Begemann, S.H.A.; Beld, van den G.J.; Tenner, A.D.

1997-01-01

Abstract Long-term behaviour/response of people has been studied in standard window zone offices during daytime working hours. Regular cell-offices were equipped with experimental lighting systems delivering lighting conditions that are known to influence human physiology. The results show that most

The Effects of Exercising in Different Natural Environments on Psycho-Physiological Outcomes in Post-Menopausal Women: A Simulation Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mathew P. White

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The current study examined potential psycho-physiological benefits from exercising in simulated natural environments among a sample of post-menopausal women using a laboratory based protocol. Participants cycled on a stationary exercise bike for 15 min while facing either a blank wall (Control or while watching one of three videos: Urban (Grey, Countryside (Green, Coast (Blue. Blood pressure, heart rate and affective responses were measured pre-post. Heart rate, affect, perceived exertion and time perception were also measured at 5, 10 and 15 min during exercise. Experience evaluation was measured at the end. Replicating most earlier findings, affective, but not physiological, outcomes were more positive for exercise in the simulated Green and, for the first time, Blue environment, compared to Control. Moreover, only the simulated Blue environment was associated with shorter perceived exercise duration than Control and participants were most willing to repeat exercise in the Blue setting. The current research extended earlier work by exploring the effects of “blue exercise” and by using a demographic with relatively low average levels of physical activity. That this sample of postmenopausal women were most willing to repeat a bout of exercise in a simulated Blue environment may be important for physical activity promotion in this cohort.

The Effects of Exercising in Different Natural Environments on Psycho-Physiological Outcomes in Post-Menopausal Women: A Simulation Study

Science.gov (United States)

White, Mathew P.; Pahl, Sabine; Ashbullby, Katherine J.; Burton, Francesca; Depledge, Michael H.

2015-01-01

The current study examined potential psycho-physiological benefits from exercising in simulated natural environments among a sample of post-menopausal women using a laboratory based protocol. Participants cycled on a stationary exercise bike for 15 min while facing either a blank wall (Control) or while watching one of three videos: Urban (Grey), Countryside (Green), Coast (Blue). Blood pressure, heart rate and affective responses were measured pre-post. Heart rate, affect, perceived exertion and time perception were also measured at 5, 10 and 15 min during exercise. Experience evaluation was measured at the end. Replicating most earlier findings, affective, but not physiological, outcomes were more positive for exercise in the simulated Green and, for the first time, Blue environment, compared to Control. Moreover, only the simulated Blue environment was associated with shorter perceived exercise duration than Control and participants were most willing to repeat exercise in the Blue setting. The current research extended earlier work by exploring the effects of “blue exercise” and by using a demographic with relatively low average levels of physical activity. That this sample of postmenopausal women were most willing to repeat a bout of exercise in a simulated Blue environment may be important for physical activity promotion in this cohort. PMID:26404351

Ergonomics evaluation of a government office building.

Science.gov (United States)

Pentikis, John; Lopez, Mary S; Thomas, Robert E

2002-01-01

An ergonomics team from the US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive medicine evaluated 465 video display terminal (VDT) workstations in a Government office building over an 18-day period. Each workstation evaluation involved an assessment of the worker, the chair, the desk, the keyboard, the pointing device, the monitor, and the office environmental conditions. The team also collected worker pain and injury information. The problems seen during the evaluation were characteristic of most office environments where VDT workstation furniture was purchased before the advent of mouse-driven software. The majority of furniture evaluated was not designed to meet the demands of intensive mouse use for prolonged periods of time. Much of the workstation furniture was not adjustable, chairs lacked adequate back support, and workers assumed non-neutral postures. As a result, more than 35% of the workers evaluated complained of on-the-job pain. New office furniture that is adjustable, adequate desk space and storage space were among the solutions recommended by the ergonomics team.

Interaction of a 238Pu fueled-sphere assembly with a simulated terrestrial environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinkruger, F.J.; Patterson, J.H.; Herrera, B.; Nelson, G.B.; Matlack, G.M.; Waterbury, G.R.; Pavone, D.

1981-02-01

A 238 Pu fueled sphere assembly (FSA) was exposed to a simulated humid environment on sandy soil for 3 y. After a 70-week exposure, plutonium was first detected in measurable quantities in rain and condensate samples. A core sample taken in the ninety-third week contained 302 ng of plutonium. Examination of the FSA after exposure revealed a hole in the bottom of the graphite impact shell (GIS) and a leaking weld on the vent assembly of the postimpact containment shell (PICS). These two openings may be the pathways for plutonium entry into the environment from the FSA

Evaluating Thermal Comfort in a Naturally Conditioned Office in a Temperate Climate Zone

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrés Gallardo

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This study aims to determine the optimal approach for evaluating thermal comfort in an office that uses natural ventilation as the main conditioning strategy; the office is located in Quito-Ecuador. The performance of the adaptive model included in CEN Standard EN15251 and the traditional PMV model are compared with reports of thermal environment satisfaction surveys presented simultaneously to all occupants of the office to determine which of the two comfort models is most suitable to evaluate the thermal environment. The results indicate that office occupants have developed some degree of adaptation to the climatic conditions of the city where the office is located (which only demands heating operation, and tend to accept and even prefer lower operative temperatures than those considered optimum by applying the PMV model. This is an indication that occupants of naturally conditioned buildings are usually able to match their comfort temperature to their normal environment. Therefore, the application of the adaptive model included in CEN Standard EN15251 seems like the optimal approach for evaluating thermal comfort in naturally conditioned buildings, because it takes into consideration the adaptive principle that indicates that if a change occurs such as to produce discomfort, people tend to react in ways which restore their comfort.

Evaluation of materials for bipolar plates in simulated PEM fuel-cell cathodic environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rivas, S.V.; Belmonte, M.R.; Moron, L.E.; Torres, J.; Orozco, G. [Centro de Investigacion y Desarrollo Technologico en Electroquimica S.C. Parcque Sanfandila, Queretaro (Mexico); Perez-Quiroz, J.T. [Mexican Transport Inst., Queretaro (Mexico); Cortes, M. A. [Mexican Petroleum Inst., Mexico City (Mexico)

2008-04-15

The bipolar plates in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) are exposed to an oxidizing environment on the cathodic side, and therefore are susceptible to corrosion. Corrosion resistant materials are needed for the bipolar plates in order to improve the lifespan of fuel cells. This article described a study in which a molybdenum (Mo) coating was deposited over austenitic stainless steel 316 and carbon steel as substrates in order to evaluate the resulting surfaces with respect to their corrosion resistance in simulated anodic and cathodic PEMFC environments. The molybdenum oxide films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The article presented the experiment and discussed the results of the corrosion behaviour of coated stainless steel. In general, the electrochemical characterization of bare materials and coated steel consisted of slow potentiodynamic polarization curves followed by a constant potential polarization test. The test medium was 0.5M sulfuric acid with additional introduction of oxygen to simulate the cathodic environment. All tests were performed at ambient temperature and at 50 degrees Celsius. The potentiostat used was a Gamry instrument. It was concluded that it is possible to deposit Mo-oxides on steel without using another alloying metal. The preferred substrate for corrosion prevention was found to be an alloy with high chromium content. 24 refs., 4 figs.

Interpretation of Simulations in Interactive VR Environments: Depth Perception in Cave and Panorama

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mullins, Michael

2006-01-01

 Virtual reality (VR) applications are transforming the way architecture is conceived and produced. By introducing an open and inclusive approach, they encourage a creative dialogue with the users of residential schemes and other buildings and allow competition juries a more thorough understanding...... of architectural concepts. Architects need to heed the dynamics set in motion by these technologies and especially of how laypersons interpret building forms and their simulations in interactive VR environments. The article presents a study which compares aspects of spatial perception in a physical environment...... contextual experience of the viewer, and that spatial ability is an important contributing factor. Results in the two virtual environments tested show consistent differences in how depth and shape are perceived, indicating that VR context is a significant variable in spatial representation. It is asserted...

Building interactive virtual environments for simulated training in medicine using VRML and Java/JavaScript.

Science.gov (United States)

Korocsec, D; Holobar, A; Divjak, M; Zazula, D

2005-12-01

Medicine is a difficult thing to learn. Experimenting with real patients should not be the only option; simulation deserves a special attention here. Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) as a tool for building virtual objects and scenes has a good record of educational applications in medicine, especially for static and animated visualisations of body parts and organs. However, to create computer simulations resembling situations in real environments the required level of interactivity and dynamics is difficult to achieve. In the present paper we describe some approaches and techniques which we used to push the limits of the current VRML technology further toward dynamic 3D representation of virtual environments (VEs). Our demonstration is based on the implementation of a virtual baby model, whose vital signs can be controlled from an external Java application. The main contributions of this work are: (a) outline and evaluation of the three-level VRML/Java implementation of the dynamic virtual environment, (b) proposal for a modified VRML Timesensor node, which greatly improves the overall control of system performance, and (c) architecture of the prototype distributed virtual environment for training in neonatal resuscitation comprising the interactive virtual newborn, active bedside monitor for vital signs and full 3D representation of the surgery room.

Military Experience and Levels of Stress and Coping in Police Officers

OpenAIRE

Hartley, Tara A.; Violanti, John M.; Mnatsakanova, Anna; Andrew, Michael E.; Burchfiel, Cecil M.

2013-01-01

Policing is a stressful occupation and working in this environment may make officers more vulnerable to adverse psychological and physiological outcomes. The impact of prior military experience on work stress and coping strategies has not been well-studied in police. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine differences in levels of police-related stress and coping in officers with and without military experience. Participants were 452 police officers from the Buffalo Cardio-me...

The limits of extremophilic life expanded under extraterrestrial environment-simulated experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Lage, C.; Dalmaso, G.; Teixeira, L.; Bendia, A.; Rosado, A.

2012-09-01

Astrobiology is a brand new area of science that seeks to understand the origin and dynamics of life in the universe. Several hypotheses to explain life in the cosmic context have been developed throughout human history, but only now technology has allowed many of them to be tested. Laboratory experiments have been able to show how chemical elements essential to life, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen combine in biologically important compounds. Interestingly, these compounds are found universally. As these compounds were combined to the point of originating cells and complex organisms is still a challenge to be unveiled by science. However, our 4.5 billion years-old solar system was born within a 10-billion years-old universe. Thus, simple cells like microorganisms may have had time to form in planets older than ours or other suitable molecular places in the universe. One hypothesis to explain the origin of life on Earth is called panspermia, which predicts that microbial life could have been formed in the universe billions of years ago, traveling between planets, and inseminating units of life that could have become more complex in habitable planets like ours. A project designed to test the viability of extremophile microorganisms exposed to simulated extraterrestrial environments is ongoing at the Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics to test whether microbial life could withstand those inhospitable environments. Ultra-resistant (known or novel ones) microorganisms collected from terrestrial extreme environments, extremophiles, have been exposed to intense radiation sources simulating solar radiation (at synchrotron accelerators), capable of emitting in a few hours radiation equivalent of million years accumulated doses. The results obtained in these experiments reveal the interesting possibility of the existence of microbial life beyond Earth.

Semantic and Virtual Reality-Enhanced Configuration of Domestic Environments: The Smart Home Simulator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniele Spoladore

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces the Smart Home Simulator, one of the main outcomes of the D4All project. This application takes into account the variety of issues involved in the development of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL solutions, such as the peculiarity of each end-users, appliances, and technologies with their deployment and data-sharing issues. The Smart Home Simulator—a mixed reality application able to support the configuration and customization of domestic environments in AAL systems—leverages on integration capabilities of Semantic Web technologies and the possibility to model relevant knowledge (about both the dwellers and the domestic environment into formal models. It also exploits Virtual Reality technologies as an efficient means to simplify the configuration of customized AAL environments. The application and the underlying framework will be validated through two different use cases, each one foreseeing the customized configuration of a domestic environment for specific segments of users.

Virtual VMASC: A 3D Game Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Manepalli, Suchitra; Shen, Yuzhong; Garcia, Hector M.; Lawsure, Kaleen

2010-01-01

The advantages of creating interactive 3D simulations that allow viewing, exploring, and interacting with land improvements, such as buildings, in digital form are manifold and range from allowing individuals from anywhere in the world to explore those virtual land improvements online, to training military personnel in dealing with war-time environments, and to making those land improvements available in virtual worlds such as Second Life. While we haven't fully explored the true potential of such simulations, we have identified a requirement within our organization to use simulations like those to replace our front-desk personnel and allow visitors to query, naVigate, and communicate virtually with various entities within the building. We implemented the Virtual VMASC 3D simulation of the Virginia Modeling Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC) office building to not only meet our front-desk requirement but also to evaluate the effort required in designing such a simulation and, thereby, leverage the experience we gained in future projects of this kind. This paper describes the goals we set for our implementation, the software approach taken, the modeling contribution made, and the technologies used such as XNA Game Studio, .NET framework, Autodesk software packages, and, finally, the applicability of our implementation on a variety of architectures including Xbox 360 and PC. This paper also summarizes the result of our evaluation and the lessons learned from our effort.

Air Support Control Officer Individual Position Training Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

2017-06-01

example, simulation-aided performance improvement was shown during the Royal Australian Air Forces live training event, Pitch Black (Francis, Best...behind Black Skies was to prepare trainees for the more expensive live training of the Pitch Black exercise. Results demonstrated a twenty percent...evaluation of the system by subject matter experts suggests that a training simulation such as the prototype developed in the course of this work could

Performance and Effectiveness of Portable Air Cleaners in an Office Room

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ardkapan, Siamak Rahimi; Afshari, Alireza; Bergsøe, Niels Christian

2015-01-01

Nowadays, many people work in an office environment. Air pollutants, including particles and gases, are generated by humans and by different devices that are used in offices. Pollutants can also enter an office room with the air supplied from outdoors. It has been established that air pollutants...... and particles in an office room. The particle removal effectiveness of the technologies was also determined in order to clarify their ability to remove UFPs (ultrafine particles) in the office room. The tested five air cleaning technologies are non-thermal plasma, corona discharge ionizer, portable air purifier......, electrostatic fibrous filter and three-dimensional fibrous filter. The interior surfaces of the office room emit low levels of volatile organic compounds, since the office room has not been refurbished for about two decades. The results showed that the particle removal effectiveness of the technologies...

The demands and resources arising from shared office spaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Morrison, Rachel L; Macky, Keith A

2017-04-01

The prevalence of flexible and shared office spaces is increasing significantly, yet the socioemotional outcomes associated with these environments are under researched. Utilising the job demands-resources (JD-R) model we investigate both the demands and the resources that can accrue to workers as a result of shared work environments and hot-desking. Data were collected from work experienced respondents (n = 1000) assessing the extent to which they shared their office space with others, along with demands comprising distractions, uncooperative behaviours, distrust, and negative relationships, and resources from co-worker friendships and supervisor support. We found that, as work environments became more shared (with hot-desking being at the extreme end of the continuum), not only were there increases in demands, but co-worker friendships were not improved and perceptions of supervisory support decreased. Findings are discussed in relation to employee well-being and recommendations are made regarding how best to ameliorate negative consequences of shared work environments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study on Photon Transport Problem Based on the Platform of Molecular Optical Simulation Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Kuan; Gao, Xinbo; Liang, Jimin; Qu, Xiaochao; Ren, Nunu; Chen, Xueli; Ma, Bin; Tian, Jie

2010-01-01

As an important molecular imaging modality, optical imaging has attracted increasing attention in the recent years. Since the physical experiment is usually complicated and expensive, research methods based on simulation platforms have obtained extensive attention. We developed a simulation platform named Molecular Optical Simulation Environment (MOSE) to simulate photon transport in both biological tissues and free space for optical imaging based on noncontact measurement. In this platform, Monte Carlo (MC) method and the hybrid radiosity-radiance theorem are used to simulate photon transport in biological tissues and free space, respectively, so both contact and noncontact measurement modes of optical imaging can be simulated properly. In addition, a parallelization strategy for MC method is employed to improve the computational efficiency. In this paper, we study the photon transport problems in both biological tissues and free space using MOSE. The results are compared with Tracepro, simplified spherical harmonics method (S P n), and physical measurement to verify the performance of our study method on both accuracy and efficiency. PMID:20445737

Use of Heuristics to Facilitate Scientific Discovery Learning in a Simulation Learning Environment in a Physics Domain

Science.gov (United States)

Veermans, Koen; van Joolingen, Wouter; de Jong, Ton

2006-01-01

This article describes a study into the role of heuristic support in facilitating discovery learning through simulation-based learning. The study compares the use of two such learning environments in the physics domain of collisions. In one learning environment (implicit heuristics) heuristics are only used to provide the learner with guidance…

A Hybrid Three Layer Architecture for Fire Agent Management in Rescue Simulation Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alborz Geramifard

2005-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a new architecture called FAIS for implementing intelligent agents cooperating in a special Multi Agent environment, namely the RoboCup Rescue Simulation System. This is a layered architecture which is customized for solving fire extinguishing problem. Structural decision making algorithms are combined with heuristic ones in this model, so it's a hybrid architecture.

The Value of Biomedical Simulation Environments to Future Human Space Flight Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Mulugeta,Lealem; Myers, Jerry G.; Lewandowski, Beth; Platts, Steven H.

2011-01-01

Mars and NEO missions will expose astronaut to extended durations of reduced reduced gravity, isolation and higher radiation. These new operation conditions pose health risks that are not well understood and perhaps unanticipated. Advanced computational simulation environments can beneficially augment research to predict, assess and mitigate potential hazards to astronaut health. The NASA Digital Astronaut Project (DAP), within the NASA Human Research Program, strives to achieve this goal.

Creating Office Spaces in the Mediterranean. The importance of well-being, health and performance of office users

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Mateo-Cecilia

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Recent research has studied the influence of office buildings indoor environment quality (IEQ on employees’ well-being, health and performance. However, it seems that it has not been explicitly explored what are the appropriate environmental conditions to different work patterns that coexist in these spaces. This paper presents results of an empirical research, based on the synchronized measurements of different IEQ parameters (i.e., noise, lighting and temperature, and well-being, health and performance of 71 employees in twelve office spaces in the Valencian Community along three periods, considering winter and summer conditions. Findings of the first winter period data, suggest the existence of different ideal parameters for different levels of task complexity (one of the dimensions that characterizes work patterns in the Mediterranean climate; and open new avenues of research to build up a specific Smart and Sustainable Offices (SSO model and further systemic design-support tools.

Realization of a demand response in office-buildings; Umsetzung eines Lastmangements in Buerogebaeuden

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jungwirth, Johannes; Berger, Christian [TU Muenchen (Germany). Lehrstuhl fuer Energiewirtschaft und Anwendungstechnik; Roessel, Timm [TU Muenchen (Germany). Lehrstuhl fuer Bauklimatik und Haustechnik

2011-07-01

Due to the mostly fluctuating feed-in characteristics, the strong expansion of renewable energy producers lets expect a paradigm shift in the structure of the power supply concept. The integration of renewables into the electricity grid requires new ways to compensate the temporal discrepancy between production and consumption. Such a load management or demand response requires electrical devices that can be varied with time in their mode of operation. The results of a feasibility study show that amongst other things a lot of electric devices being suitable for the implementation of the load management are present in office buildings and administration buildings. As an already existing communication structure one may refer to the equipment automation for the control of the individual devices. In order to realize the existing potentials, an innovative control strategy based on the existing hardware is necessary. This control strategy may adapt the mode of operation to an external signal. In order to allow a realistic development of such control strategies, a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing environment was created which allows a development of control strategies by means of a real building automation controller under defined and reproducible conditions without adverse effects on the users of a building. The controller is connected to a personal computer which models the building and systems engineering taking into account the user behaviour in real time. All gates of the building automation are tapped and provided as input data to the simulation. Based on this information, in the simulation the reaction of the building is calculated for each time step. The current spatial conditions are reported back to the building automation. Thus, the controller can be tested with all the functionality in the HIL environment. Any locations and environmental conditions in the development process can be compared and evaluated by means of the simulation. The goal is to develop an

A simulation study of gene-by-environment interactions in GWAS implies ample hidden effects

Science.gov (United States)

Marigorta, Urko M.; Gibson, Greg

2014-01-01

The switch to a modern lifestyle in recent decades has coincided with a rapid increase in prevalence of obesity and other diseases. These shifts in prevalence could be explained by the release of genetic susceptibility for disease in the form of gene-by-environment (GxE) interactions. Yet, the detection of interaction effects requires large sample sizes, little replication has been reported, and a few studies have demonstrated environmental effects only after summing the risk of GWAS alleles into genetic risk scores (GRSxE). We performed extensive simulations of a quantitative trait controlled by 2500 causal variants to inspect the feasibility to detect gene-by-environment interactions in the context of GWAS. The simulated individuals were assigned either to an ancestral or a modern setting that alters the phenotype by increasing the effect size by 1.05–2-fold at a varying fraction of perturbed SNPs (from 1 to 20%). We report two main results. First, for a wide range of realistic scenarios, highly significant GRSxE is detected despite the absence of individual genotype GxE evidence at the contributing loci. Second, an increase in phenotypic variance after environmental perturbation reduces the power to discover susceptibility variants by GWAS in mixed cohorts with individuals from both ancestral and modern environments. We conclude that a pervasive presence of gene-by-environment effects can remain hidden even though it contributes to the genetic architecture of complex traits. PMID:25101110

Air distribution in office environment with asymmetric workstation layout using chilled beams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koskela, Hannu; Haeggblom, Henna [Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Lemminkaeisenkatu 14-18 B, 20520 Turku (Finland); Kosonen, Risto; Ruponen, Mika [Halton Oy, Niittyvillankuja 4, 01510 Vantaa (Finland)

2010-09-15

Air flow patterns and mean air speeds were studied under laboratory conditions representing a full scale open-plan office. Three basic conditions were tested: summer, spring/autumn and winter. Chilled beams were used to provide cooling, outdoor air supply and air distribution in the room. The heat sources had a notable influence on the flow pattern in the room causing large scale circulation and affecting the direction of inlet jets. The maximum air speed in the occupied zone was higher than the recommendations. The mean air speed was also high on at the floor level but low on at the head level. The air speed was highest in the summer case under high cooling load. Results indicate that especially with high heat loads, it is difficult to fulfill the targets of the existing standards in practice. Two main sources of draught risk were found: a) downfall of colliding inlet jets causing local maxima of air speed and b) large scale circulation caused by asymmetric layout of chilled beams and heat sources. The first phenomenon can cause local draught risk when the workstation is located in the downfall area. The flow pattern is not stable and the position of draught risk areas can change in time and also due to changes in room heat sources. The second phenomenon can cause more constant high air speeds on at the floor level. CFD-simulation was able to predict the general flow pattern but somewhat overestimated the air speed compared to measurements. (author)

Acoustical quality in office workstations, as assed by occupant surveys

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Kasper Lynge

2005-01-01

We analyzed acoustic satisfaction in office environments in buildings surveyed by The Center For The Built Environment (CBE). A total of 23,450 respondents from 142 buildings were included in the analysis. Acoustic satisfaction in the CBE survey is a function of satisfaction with both noise and s...

Will musculoskeletal and visual stress change when Visual Display Unit (VDU) operators move from small offices to an ergonomically optimized office landscape?

Science.gov (United States)

Helland, Magne; Horgen, Gunnar; Kvikstad, Tor Martin; Garthus, Tore; Aarås, Arne

2011-11-01

This study investigated the effect of moving from small offices to a landscape environment for 19 Visual Display Unit (VDU) operators at Alcatel Denmark AS. The operators reported significantly improved lighting condition and glare situation. Further, visual discomfort was also significantly reduced on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). There was no significant correlation between lighting condition and visual discomfort neither in the small offices nor in the office landscape. However, visual discomfort correlated significantly with glare in small offices i.e. more glare is related to more visual discomfort. This correlation disappeared after the lighting system in the office landscape had been improved. There was also a significant correlation between glare and itching of the eyes as well as blurred vision in the small offices, i.e. more glare more visual symptoms. Experience of pain was found to reduce the subjective assessment of work capacity during VDU tasks. There was a significant correlation between visual discomfort and reduced work capacity in small offices and in the office landscape. When moving from the small offices to the office landscape, there was a significant reduction in headache as well as back pain. No significant changes in pain intensity in the neck, shoulder, forearm, and wrist/hand were observed. The pain levels in different body areas were significantly correlated with subjective assessment of reduced work capacity in small offices and in the office landscape. By careful design and construction of an office landscape with regard to lighting and visual conditions, transfer from small offices may be acceptable from a visual-ergonomic point of view. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Energy efficiency evaluation of hospital building office

Science.gov (United States)

Fitriani, Indah; Sangadji, Senot; Kristiawan, S. A.

2017-01-01

One of the strategy employed in building design is reducing energy consumption while maintaining the best comfort zone in building indoor climate. The first step to improve office buildings energy performance by evaluating its existing energy usage using energy consumption intensity (Intensitas Konsumsi Energi, IKE) index. Energy evaluation of office building for hospital dr. Sayidiman at Kabupaten Magetan has been carried out in the initial investigation. The office building is operated with active cooling (air conditioning, AC) and use limited daylighting which consumes 14.61 kWh/m2/month. This IKE value is attributed into a slightly inefficient category. Further investigation was carried out by modeling and simulating thermal energy load and room lighting in every building zone using of Ecotect from Autodesk. Three scenarios of building energy and lighting retrofit have been performed simulating representing energy efficiency using cross ventilation, room openings, and passive cooling. The results of the numerical simulation indicate that the third scenario by employing additional windows, reflector media and skylight exhibit the best result and in accordance with SNI 03-6575-2001 lighting standard. Total thermal load of the existing building which includes fabric gains, indirect solar gains, direct solar gains, ventilation fans, internal gains, inter-zonal gains and cooling load were 162,145.40 kWh. Based on the three scenarios, the thermal load value (kWh) obtained was lowest achieved scenario 2 with the thermal value of 117,539.08 kWh.The final results are interpreted from the total energy emissions evaluated using the Ecotect software, the heating and cooling demand value and specific design of the windows are important factors to determine the energy efficiency of the buildings.

Energy efficiency evaluation of hospital building office

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fitriani, Indah; Sangadji, Senot; Kristiawan, S.A.

2017-01-01

One of the strategy employed in building design is reducing energy consumption while maintaining the best comfort zone in building indoor climate. The first step to improve office buildings energy performance by evaluating its existing energy usage using energy consumption intensity (Intensitas Konsumsi Energi, IKE) index. Energy evaluation of office building for hospital dr. Sayidiman at Kabupaten Magetan has been carried out in the initial investigation. The office building is operated with active cooling (air conditioning, AC) and use limited daylighting which consumes 14.61 kWh/m2/month. This IKE value is attributed into a slightly inefficient category. Further investigation was carried out by modeling and simulating thermal energy load and room lighting in every building zone using of Ecotect from Autodesk. Three scenarios of building energy and lighting retrofit have been performed simulating representing energy efficiency using cross ventilation, room openings, and passive cooling. The results of the numerical simulation indicate that the third scenario by employing additional windows, reflector media and skylight exhibit the best result and in accordance with SNI 03-6575-2001 lighting standard. Total thermal load of the existing building which includes fabric gains, indirect solar gains, direct solar gains, ventilation fans, internal gains, inter-zonal gains and cooling load were 162,145.40 kWh. Based on the three scenarios, the thermal load value (kWh) obtained was lowest achieved scenario 2 with the thermal value of 117,539.08 kWh.The final results are interpreted from the total energy emissions evaluated using the Ecotect software, the heating and cooling demand value and specific design of the windows are important factors to determine the energy efficiency of the buildings. (paper)

Thermally Induced Vibrations of the Hubble Space Telescope's Solar Array 3 in a Test Simulated Space Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Early, Derrick A.; Haile, William B.; Turczyn, Mark T.; Griffin, Thomas J. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the European Space Agency (ESA) conducted a disturbance verification test on a flight Solar Array 3 (SA3) for the Hubble Space Telescope using the ESA Large Space Simulator (LSS) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. The LSS cyclically illuminated the SA3 to simulate orbital temperature changes in a vacuum environment. Data acquisition systems measured signals from force transducers and accelerometers resulting from thermally induced vibrations of the SAI The LSS with its seismic mass boundary provided an excellent background environment for this test. This paper discusses the analysis performed on the measured transient SA3 responses and provides a summary of the results.

People-plant relationships in an office workplace

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Jane Dyrhauge; Sønderstrup-Andersen, Hans Henrik Krogh; Müller, Renate

2011-01-01

, explorative, and inductive case-study design, the study provides an example of how a cross-disciplinary unit engaged in administrative office work at a Danish institution applied ornamental plants. The results document that ornamental plants are an integrated part of the workplace. The employees used......The study presented in this article represents an initial attempt to generate indepth information about how ornamental plants in real-life office workplaces interact with workplace characteristics, thus influencing working environment and well-being of the employees. Using a qualitative.......g., size, species and condition), and characteristics of the individual employee (e.g., personal experiences, preferences, and values)....

On variations of space-heating energy use in office buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Hung-Wen; Hong, Tianzhen

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Space heating is the largest energy end use in the U.S. building sector. • A key design and operational parameters have the most influence on space heating. • Simulated results were benchmarked against actual results to analyze discrepancies. • Yearly weather changes have significant impact on space heating energy use. • Findings enable stakeholders to make better decisions on energy efficiency. - Abstract: Space heating is the largest energy end use, consuming more than seven quintillion joules of site energy annually in the U.S. building sector. A few recent studies showed discrepancies in simulated space-heating energy use among different building energy modeling programs, and the simulated results are suspected to be underpredicting reality. While various uncertainties are associated with building simulations, especially when simulations are performed by different modelers using different simulation programs for buildings with different configurations, it is crucial to identify and evaluate key driving factors to space-heating energy use in order to support the design and operation of low-energy buildings. In this study, 10 design and operation parameters for space-heating systems of two prototypical office buildings in each of three U.S. heating climates are identified and evaluated, using building simulations with EnergyPlus, to determine the most influential parameters and their impacts on variations of space-heating energy use. The influence of annual weather change on space-heating energy is also investigated using 30-year actual weather data. The simulated space-heating energy use is further benchmarked against those from similar actual office buildings in two U.S. commercial-building databases to better understand the discrepancies between simulated and actual energy use. In summary, variations of both the simulated and actual space-heating energy use of office buildings in all three heating climates can be very large. However

Study of Propagation Mechanisms in Dynamical Railway Environment to Reduce Computation Time of 3D Ray Tracing Simulator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siham Hairoud

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In order to better assess the behaviours of the propagation channel in a confined environment such as a railway tunnel for subway application, we present an optimization method for a deterministic channel simulator based on 3D ray tracing associated to the geometrical optics laws and the uniform theory of diffraction. This tool requires a detailed description of the environment. Thus, the complexity of this model is directly bound to the complexity of the environment and specifically to the number of facets that compose it. In this paper, we propose an algorithm to identify facets that have no significant impact on the wave propagation. This allows us to simplify the description of the geometry of the modelled environment by removing them and by this way, to reduce the complexity of our model and therefore its computation time. A comparative study between full and simplified environment is led and shows the impact of this proposed method on the characteristic parameters of the propagation channel. Thus computation time obtained from the simplified environment is 6 times lower than the one of the full model without significant degradation of simulation accuracy.

Leveraging lean in the office: Lean office needs a novel and differentiated approach

OpenAIRE

Rüttimann, Bruno G.; Fischer, Urs P.; Stöckli, Martin T.

2014-01-01

Lean Six Sigma tools have been increasingly employed also in the service industry, however with different success as field studies have shown. The reason not only has to be attributed to a poor Change Management, but can also be attributed to the intrinsic characteristics of the Lean techniques, which have been tailored to sustain a stable customer-takted pull-manufacturing principle. An office workplace shows significant differences to a procedural shop floor environment, as it comprises bot...

A Hybrid Three Layer Architecture for Fire Agent Management in Rescue Simulation Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alborz Geramifard

2008-11-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a new architecture called FAIS for imple- menting intelligent agents cooperating in a special Multi Agent environ- ment, namely the RoboCup Rescue Simulation System. This is a layered architecture which is customized for solving fire extinguishing problem. Structural decision making algorithms are combined with heuristic ones in this model, so it's a hybrid architecture.

Multiplatform Mission Planning and Operations Simulation Environment for Adaptive Remote Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, G.; Ball, C.; O'Brien, A.; Johnson, J. T.

2017-12-01

We report on the design and development of mission simulator libraries to support the emerging field of adaptive remote sensors. We will outline the current state of the art in adaptive sensing, provide analysis of how the current approach to performing observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs) must be changed to enable adaptive sensors for remote sensing, and present an architecture to enable their inclusion in future OSSEs.The growing potential of sensors capable of real-time adaptation of their operational parameters calls for a new class of mission planning and simulation tools. Existing simulation tools used in OSSEs assume a fixed set of sensor parameters in terms of observation geometry, frequencies used, resolution, or observation time, which allows simplifications to be made in the simulation and allows sensor observation errors to be characterized a priori. Adaptive sensors may vary these parameters depending on the details of the scene observed, so that sensor performance is not simple to model without conducting OSSE simulations that include sensor adaptation in response to varying observational environment. Adaptive sensors are of significance to resource-constrained, small satellite platforms because they enable the management of power and data volumes while providing methods for multiple sensors to collaborate.The new class of OSSEs required to utilize adaptive sensors located on multiple platforms must answer the question: If the physical act of sensing has a cost, how does the system determine if the science value of a measurement is worth the cost and how should that cost be shared among the collaborating sensors?Here we propose to answer this question using an architecture structured around three modules: ADAPT, MANAGE and COLLABORATE. The ADAPT module is a set of routines to facilitate modeling of adaptive sensors, the MANAGE module will implement a set of routines to facilitate simulations of sensor resource management when power and data

[Pressing problems of labor hygiene and occupational pathology among office workers].

Science.gov (United States)

Dudarev, A A; Sorokin, G A

2012-01-01

Northwest public health research center, Ministry of health and social affairs, St.-Petersburg. The article substantiates the conception of "office room", "office worker", estimates the basic diseases and symptoms among office workers (SBS-syndrome, BRI-illnesses, BRS-symptoms). Complex of indoor factors of office environment are analyzed, which influence the health status of personnel--indoor air quality (microclimate, aerosols, chemical, biological pollution, air ionization), external physical factors, ergonomics, intensity and tension of work, psychosocial factors. Comparison of Russian and foreign approaches to the hygienic estimation and rating of these factors was carried out. Owing to inadequacy of Russian hygienic rules to modern requirements, the necessity of working out of a complex of sanitary rules focused particularly on office workers is proved.

Experimental simulation: using generative modelling and palaeoecological data to understand human-environment interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George Perry

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The amount of palaeoecological information available continues to grow rapidly, providing improved descriptions of the dynamics of past ecosystems and enabling them to be seen from new perspectives. At the same time, there has been concern over whether palaeoecological enquiry needs to move beyond descriptive inference to a more hypothesis-focussed or experimental approach; however, the extent to which conventional hypothesis-driven scientific frameworks can be applied to historical contexts (i.e., the past is the subject of ongoing debate. In other disciplines concerned with human-environment interactions, including physical geography and archaeology, there has been growing use of generative simulation models, typified by agent-based approaches. Generative modelling encourages counter-factual questioning (what if…?, a mode of argument that is particularly important in systems and time-periods, such as the Holocene and now the Anthropocene, where the effects of humans and other biophysical processes are deeply intertwined. However, palaeoecologically focused simulation of the dynamics of the ecosystems of the past either seems to be conducted to assess the applicability of some model to the future or treats humans simplistically as external forcing factors. In this review we consider how generative simulation-modelling approaches could contribute to our understanding of past human-environment interactions. We consider two key issues: the need for null models for understanding past dynamics and the need to be able learn more from pattern-based analysis. In this light, we argue that there is considerable scope for palaeocology to benefit from developments in generative models and their evaluation. We discuss the view that simulation is a form of experiment and, by using case studies, consider how the many patterns available to palaeoecologists can support model evaluation in a way that moves beyond simplistic pattern-matching and how such models

Transfection of the IHH gene into rabbit BMSCs in a simulated microgravity environment promotes chondrogenic differentiation and inhibits cartilage aging.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Peng-Cheng; Liu, Kuan; Liu, Jun-Feng; Xia, Kuo; Chen, Li-Yang; Wu, Xing

2016-09-27

The effect of overexpressing the Indian hedgehog (IHH) gene on the chondrogenic differentiation of rabbit bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) was investigated in a simulated microgravity environment. An adenovirus plasmid encoding the rabbit IHH gene was constructed in vitro and transfected into rabbit BMSCs. Two large groups were used: conventional cell culture and induction model group and simulated microgravity environment group. Each large group was further divided into blank control group, GFP transfection group, and IHH transfection group. During differentiation induction, the expression levels of cartilage-related and cartilage hypertrophy-related genes and proteins in each group were determined. In the conventional model, the IHH transfection group expressed high levels of cartilage-related factors (Coll2 and ANCN) at the early stage of differentiation induction and expressed high levels of cartilage hypertrophy-related factors (Coll10, annexin 5, and ALP) at the late stage. Under the simulated microgravity environment, the IHH transfection group expressed high levels of cartilage-related factors and low levels of cartilage hypertrophy-related factors at all stages of differentiation induction. Under the simulated microgravity environment, transfection of the IHH gene into BMSCs effectively promoted the generation of cartilage and inhibited cartilage aging and osteogenesis. Therefore, this technique is suitable for cartilage tissue engineering.

Thermal dynamic simulation of wall for building energy efficiency under varied climate environment

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xuejin; Zhang, Yujin; Hong, Jing

2017-08-01

Aiming at different kind of walls in five cities of different zoning for thermal design, using thermal instantaneous response factors method, the author develops software to calculation air conditioning cooling load temperature, thermal response factors, and periodic response factors. On the basis of the data, the author gives the net work analysis about the influence of dynamic thermal of wall on air-conditioning load and thermal environment in building of different zoning for thermal design regional, and put forward the strategy how to design thermal insulation and heat preservation wall base on dynamic thermal characteristic of wall under different zoning for thermal design regional. And then provide the theory basis and the technical references for the further study on the heat preservation with the insulation are in the service of energy saving wall design. All-year thermal dynamic load simulating and energy consumption analysis for new energy-saving building is very important in building environment. This software will provide the referable scientific foundation for all-year new thermal dynamic load simulation, energy consumption analysis, building environment systems control, carrying through farther research on thermal particularity and general particularity evaluation for new energy -saving walls building. Based on which, we will not only expediently design system of building energy, but also analyze building energy consumption and carry through scientific energy management. The study will provide the referable scientific foundation for carrying through farther research on thermal particularity and general particularity evaluation for new energy saving walls building.

Implementation and Analysis of the Chromakey Augmented Virtual Environment (ChrAVE) Version 3.0 and Virtual Environment Helicopter (VEHELO) Version 2.0 in Simulated Helicopter Training

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hahn, M. E

2005-01-01

The Chromakey Augmented Virtual Environment (ChrAVE) 3.0 System is a training system created to augment initial, refresher, and proficiency training in helicopter aviation using accurate simulation...

Simulation of fusion first-wall environment in a fission reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hassanein, A.M.; Kulcinski, G.L.; Longhurst, G.R.

1982-01-01

A novel concept to produce a realistic simulation of a fusion first-wall test environment has been proposed recently. This concept takes advantage of the (/eta/, α) reaction in 59 Ni to produce a high internal helium content in the metal while using the 3 He (/eta/, /rho/)T reaction in the gas surrounding the specimen to produce an external heat and particle flux. Models to calculate heat flux, erosion rate, implantation, and damage rate to the walls of the test module are presented. Preliminary results show that a number of important fusion technology issues could be tested experimentally in a fission reactor such as the Engineering Test Reactor

Energy and comfort in contemporary open plan and traditional personal offices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shahzad, Sally; Brennan, John; Theodossopoulos, Dimitris; Hughes, Ben; Calautit, John Kaiser

2017-01-01

Highlights: • User satisfaction is compared in offices with high and low thermal control. • Thermal control is secondary in British and main system in Norwegian approach. • Individual thermal control in Norway improved satisfaction (35%) and comfort (20%). • The energy use is much higher in the Norwegian than British case studies. • A balance is required between energy efficiency and providing thermal comfort. - Abstract: Two office layouts with high and low levels of thermal control were compared, respectively traditional cellular and contemporary open plan offices. The traditional Norwegian practice provided every user with control over a window, blinds, door, and the ability to adjust heating and cooling. Occupants were expected to control their thermal environment to find their own comfort, while air conditioning was operating in the background to ensure the indoor air quality. In contrast, in the British open plan office, limited thermal control was provided through openable windows and blinds only for occupants seated around the perimeter of the building. Centrally operated displacement ventilation was the main thermal control system. Users’ perception of thermal environment was recorded through survey questionnaires, empirical building performance through environmental measurements and thermal control through semi-structured interviews. The Norwegian office had 35% higher user satisfaction and 20% higher user comfort compared to the British open plan office. However, the energy consumption in the British practice was within the benchmark and much lower than the Norwegian office. Overall, a balance between thermal comfort and energy efficiency is required, as either extreme poses difficulties for the other.

ATTITUDINAL PROFILE OF MILITARY NURSING SERVICE OFFICERS.

Science.gov (United States)

Goel, D S; Kumari, Renu; Saldanha, D; Kaushik, A; Gupta, Lalit

2000-04-01

A questionnaire designed to assess attitudinal profile was mailed to nursing officers in five representative military hospitals. 158 (77.83%) of 203 addressees responded. Cluster analysis indicated higher level of commitment in nursing officers with over 16 years service as compared to those with less than 5 years. Self-image and job-satisfaction, however tended to be eroded with increasing length of service which was also associated with a more authoritarian attitude, relatively less materialistic outlook and (paradoxically) greater negative attitude towards authority figures. Marriage and having children did not influence any parameter. The feeling of sexual harassment increased with seniority in service, as also a perceived erosion in the authority of the principal matron. Relatively junior nursing officers appeared dissatisfied with "too much paper work" and a felt deterioration in working environment as well as the image of Military Nursing Service.

Virtual Property Manager: Providing a Simulated Learning Environment in a New University Program of Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Carswell

2007-08-01

Full Text Available This paper relates the experience that students have while accessing Virtual Property Manager (VPM, a Web-based simulation learning tool designed to introduce students to a new discipline being offered at the university – Residential Property Management. The VPM simulation was designed in part to develop student interest in the new program. Results indicate that this simple simulation device did make a notable impact on student interest. Additionally, student acceptance and self-reported impact differed significantly based upon the delivery context. Adding a competitive reward element to the simulation experience improved student's evaluation of the software and self-reported interest in the field. Results indicate that educational simulation evaluation, acceptance, and performance may often be substantially influenced by the delivery context, rather than simply the program itself. Developers may do well to focus "outside the box" of program content to promote audience-specific delivery environments.

Conversion of a mainframe simulation for maintenance performance to a PC environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gertman, D.I.

1990-01-01

The computer model MAPPS, the Maintenance Personnel Performance Simulation, has been developed and validated by the US NRC [Nuclear Regulatory Commission] in order to improve maintenance practices and procedures at nuclear power plants. This model has now been implemented and improved, in a PC [personal computer] environment and renamed MICROMAPPS. The model is stochastically based and users are able to simulate the performance of 2- to 8-person crews for a variety of maintenance tasks under a variety of conditions. These conditions include aspects of crew actions as potentially influenced by the task, the environment, or the personnel involved. For example, the influence of the following factors is currently modeled within the MAPPS computer code: (1) personnel characteristics include but are not limited to intellectual and perceptual motor ability levels, the effect of fatigue and conversely, of rest breaks on performance, stress, communication, supervisor acceptance, motivation, organizational climate, time since the tasks was last performed and the staffing level available; (2) task variables include but are not limited to time allowed, occurrence of shift change, intellectual requirements, perceptual motor requirements, procedures quality, necessity for protective clothing and essentiality of a procedures quality, necessity for protective clothing and essentiality of a subtask; and (3) environment variables include temperature of the workplace, radiation level, and noise levels. The output describing maintainer performance includes subtask and task identification, success proportion, work and wait durations, time spent repeating various subtasks and outcome in terms of errors detected by the crew, false alarms, undetected errors, duration, and the probability of success. The model is comprehensive and allows for the modeling of decision making, trouble-shooting and branching of tasks

Application of users’ light-switch stochastic models to dynamic energy simulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Camisassi, V.; Fabi, V.; Andersen, Rune Korsholm

2015-01-01

deterministic inputs, due to the uncertain nature of human behaviour. In this paper, new stochastic models of users’ interaction with artificial lighting systems are developed and implemented in the energy simulation software IDA ICE. They were developed from field measurements in an office building in Prague......The design of an innovative building should include building overall energy flows estimation. They are principally related to main six influencing factors (IEA-ECB Annex 53): climate, building envelope and equipment, operation and maintenance, occupant behaviour and indoor environment conditions...

LEADSTO: a Language and Environment for Analysis of Dynamics by SimulaTiOn (extended abstract)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosse, T.; Jonker, C.M.; van der Meij, L.; Treur, J.

2005-01-01

This paper presents the language and software environment LEADSTO that has been developed to model and simulate dynamic processes in terms of both qualitative and quantitative concepts. The LEADSTO language is a declarative order-sorted temporal language, extended with quantitative means. Dynamic

Tomorrow's offices through today's eyes: effects of innovation in the working environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Voordt, Theo; Vos, PGJC

2002-01-01

Many organisations have changed to new ways of working, steered or followed up by design interventions and sharing of activity related workplaces. Expectations have been high. Innovative offices should lead to more efficient use of space and other facilities; greater job satisfaction; the projection

Flexible Simulation E-Learning Environment for Studying Digital Circuits and Possibilities for It Deployment as Semantic Web Service

Science.gov (United States)

Radoyska, P.; Ivanova, T.; Spasova, N.

2011-01-01

In this article we present a partially realized project for building a distributed learning environment for studying digital circuits Test and Diagnostics at TU-Sofia. We describe the main requirements for this environment, substantiate the developer platform choice, and present our simulation and circuit parameter calculation tools.…

Comparison Of The I-Gel Supraglottic And King Laryngotracheal Airways In A Simulated Tactical Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

March, Juan A; Tassey, Theresa E; Resurreccion, Noel B; Portela, Roberto C; Taylor, Stephen E

2018-01-01

When working in a tactical environment there are several different airway management options that exist. One published manuscript suggests that when compared to endotracheal intubation, the King LT laryngotracheal airway (KA) device minimizes time to successful tube placement and minimizes exposure in a tactical environment. However, comparison of two different blind insertion supraglottic airway devices in a tactical environment has not been performed. This study compared the I-Gel airway (IGA) to the KA in a simulated tactical environment, to determine if one device is superior in minimizing exposure and minimizing time to successful tube placement. This prospective randomized cross over trial was performed using the same methods and tactical environment employed in a previously published study, which compared endotracheal intubation versus the KA in a tactical environment. The tactical environment was simulated with a one-foot vertical barrier. The participants were paramedic students who wore an Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) and a ballistic vest (IIIA) during the study. Participants were then randomized to perform tactical airway management on an airway manikin with either the KA or the IGA, and then again using the alternate device. The participants performed a low military type crawl and remained in this low position during each tube placement. We evaluated the time to successful tube placement between the IGA and KA. During attempts, participants were videotaped to monitor their height exposure above the barrier. Following completion, participants were asked which airway device they preferred. Data was analyzed using Student's t-test across the groups for time to ventilation and height of exposure. In total 19 paramedic students who were already at the basic EMT level participated. Time to successful placement for the KA was 39.7 seconds (95%CI: 32.7-46.7) versus 14.4 seconds (95%CI: 12.0-16.9) for the IGA, p tactical environment placement of the IGA for

Modelling and Simulating of Risk Behaviours in Virtual Environments Based on Multi-Agent and Fuzzy Logic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Linqin Cai

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Due to safety and ethical issues, traditional experimental approaches to modelling underground risk behaviours can be costly, dangerous and even impossible to realize. Based on multi-agent technology, a virtual coalmine platform for risk behaviour simulation is presented to model and simulate the human-machine-environment related risk factors in underground coalmines. To reveal mine workers' risk behaviours, a fuzzy emotional behaviour model is proposed to simulate underground miners' responding behaviours to potential hazardous events based on cognitive appraisal theories and fuzzy logic techniques. The proposed emotion model can generate more believable behaviours for virtual miners according to personalized emotion states, internal motivation needs and behaviour selection thresholds. Finally, typical accident cases of underground hazard spotting and locomotive transport were implemented. The behaviour believability of virtual miners was evaluated with a user assessment method. Experimental results show that the proposed models can create more realistic and reasonable behaviours in virtual coalmine environments, which can improve miners' risk awareness and further train miners' emergent decision-making ability when facing unexpected underground situations.

United States Department of Energy Nevada Operations Office Environmental Compliance Handbook. Third edition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-03-01

The Environment, Safety and Health Division (ESHD) of the Nevada Operations Office has prepared this Environmental Compliance Handbook for all users of the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and other US Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office (DOE/NV) facilities. The Handbook gives an overview of the important environmental laws and regulations that apply to the activities conducted by the Nevada Operations Office and other users of DOE/NV facilities in Nevada

United States Department of Energy Nevada Operations Office Environmental Compliance Handbook. Third edition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-03-01

The Environment, Safety & Health Division (ESHD) of the Nevada Operations Office has prepared this Environmental Compliance Handbook for all users of the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and other US Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office (DOE/NV) facilities. The Handbook gives an overview of the important environmental laws and regulations that apply to the activities conducted by the Nevada Operations Office and other users of DOE/NV facilities in Nevada.

Numerical Simulation of the Effects of Water Surface in Building Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Guangyao; Pan, Yuqing; Yang, Li

2018-03-01

Water body could affect the thermal environment and airflow field in the building districts, because of its special thermal characteristics, evaporation and flat surface. The thermal influence of water body in Tongji University Jiading Campus front area was evaluated. First, a suitable evaporation model was selected and then was applied to calculate the boundary conditions of the water surface in the Fluent software. Next, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted on the models both with and without water, following the CFD practices guidelines. Finally, the outputs of the two simulations were compared with each other. Results showed that the effect of evaporative cooling from water surface strongly depends on the wind direction and temperature decrease was about 2∼5°C. The relative humidity within the enclosing area was affected by both the building arrangement and surrounding water. An increase of about 0.1∼0.2m/s of wind speed induced by the water evaporation was observed in the open space.

Home automation and simulation of presence in empty environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marques Israel

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Since their humble beginnings at the dawn of the 20th Century until contemporary age, automation and control systems have grown exponentially in both complexity and importance. Its relevance on human activities, be they mundane tasks or crucial processes, is self-evident. Among its many utilities, automated systems acquire a noble mission when put in service to protect life and property from aggressors of any kind. This paper discusses how home automation components can be utilized to implement an alternative domestic security strategy that consists in simulating the presence of an individual in an empty environment in the absence of its owner in order dissuade potential trespassing criminals, once they would feel highly discouraged to carry the criminal act should they believe the property is occupied.

Development of SPEEDI-MP. A simulation system for contaminant, water, and energy circulation in a multiple environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagai, Haruyasu

2010-01-01

A numerical simulation system named SPEEDI-MP for environmental studies has been developed by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency. In this development, the national emergency response system SPEEDI, which predicts atmospheric dispersion and environmental impacts of radionuclides from nuclear facilities after an accident, is extended to be able to deal with various environments from atmospheric to terrestrial and oceanic environments. In SPEEDI-MP, this kind of complex simulation was realized by introducing a model coupler. Calculations of component models are carried out by different processors of parallel computers and the coupler controls these processes and handles data exchange among component models. Performance of the coupled model has been demonstrated in simulations of the storm surge caused by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and flash floods after heavy rainfall in Saudi Arabia. The development toward inclusion of substances of environmental concern into the model system is currently under way. As the first step of this development, the incorporation of tritium as a hazardous material worked well. (author)

Medical emergencies in the dental surgery. Part 1: Preparation of the office and basic management.

Science.gov (United States)

Malamed, Stanley F

2015-12-01

Medical emergencies can and do happen in the dental surgery. In the 20- to 30-year practice lifetime of the typical dentist, he/she will encounter between five and seven emergency situations. Being prepared in advance of the emergency increases the likelihood of a successful outcome. PURPOSE OF THE PAPER: To prepare members of the dental office staff to be able to promptly recognize and efficiently manage those medical emergency situations that can occur in the dental office environment. Preparation of the dental office to promptly recognize and efficiently manage medical emergencies is predicated on successful implementation of the following four steps: basic life support for ALL members of the dental office staff; creation of a dental office emergency team; activation of emergency medial services (EMS) when indicated; and basic emergency drugs and equipment. The basic emergency algorithm (P->C->A->B->D) is designed for implementation in all emergency situations. Prompt implementation of the basic emergency management protocol can significantly increase the likelihood of a successful result when medical emergencies occur in the dental office environment.

Today Is the Tomorrow We Talked about Yesterday: Preparing Students for Working in the Office of the Future.

Science.gov (United States)

Matherly, Donna J.

1986-01-01

Discusses changes in the office environment due to increased automation. Topics include (1) what changes will occur, (2) how they will affect office workers, and (3) how to prepare students for work in automated offices. (CH)

Health Effects of Airline Cabin Environments in Simulated 8-Hour Flights.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-07-01

Commercial air travel is usually without health incidents. However, there is a view that cabin environments may be detrimental to health, especially flights of 8 h or more. Concerns have been raised about deep vein thrombosis, upper respiratory tract infections, altitude sickness, and toxins from the engines. Passenger cabin simulators were used to achieve a comparative observational study with 8-h flights at pressures equivalent to terrestrial altitudes of ground, 4000, 6000, and 8000 ft. Biomarkers of thrombosis (D-Dimer), inflammation (interleukin-6), and respiratory dysfunction (FEV1) and oxygen saturation (Spo2) were measured, as well as pulse and blood pressure. The wellbeing of the passengers was also monitored. During 36 flights, 1260 healthy subjects [626 women (F) and 634 men (M) (mean age = 43, SD = 16)] were assessed. Additionally, 72 subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (F = 32, M = 40, mean age = 48, SD = 17) and 74 with heart failure (F = 50, M = 24, mean age = 54, SD = 14) contributed to 11 flights. Additionally, 76 normal controls were observed while engaged in a usual day's work (F = 38, M = 38, mean age = 39, SD = 15). There were no health-significant changes in D-Dimer, interleukin-6, or FEV1. Spo2 varied as expected, with lowest values at 8000 ft and in patients with cardiopulmonary disease. The only differences from the controls were the loss of the normal diurnal variations in interleukin-6 and D-Dimer. This very large, comparative, controlled study provides much reassurance for the traveling public, who use airline flights of up to 8 h. We did not show evidence of the development of venous thrombosis, inflammation, respiratory embarrassment, nor passenger distress. No significant symptoms or adverse effects were reported.Ideal Cabin Environment (ICE) Research Consortium of the European Community 6th Framework Programme. Health effects of airline cabin environments in simulated 8-hour flights. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2017; 88(7):651-656.

USMC Contingency Contracting Force: An Analysis of Transient Officers in a Rapidly Changing Acquisition Environment

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-01

and skills needed to manage the department’s acquisition system” (2008, p. 268). Relating back to the CCF, an overpopulation of lieutenant colonels...an individual task. Officers should subsequently be deployed in real world operations based upon the levels of technical competency they have...therefore, officers that transfer to the ECP need to be engaged in real- world operations as soon as possible to retain the skills obtained during

A Study of Mars Dust Environment Simulation at NASA Johnson Space Center Energy Systems Test Area Resource Conversion Test Facility

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yuan-Liang Albert

1999-01-01

The dust environment on Mars is planned to be simulated in a 20 foot thermal-vacuum chamber at the Johnson Space Center, Energy Systems Test Area Resource Conversion Test Facility in Houston, Texas. This vacuum chamber will be used to perform tests and study the interactions between the dust in Martian air and ISPP hardware. This project is to research, theorize, quantify, and document the Mars dust/wind environment needed for the 20 foot simulation chamber. This simulation work is to support the safety, endurance, and cost reduction of the hardware for the future missions. The Martian dust environment conditions is discussed. Two issues of Martian dust, (1) Dust Contamination related hazards, and (2) Dust Charging caused electrical hazards, are of our interest. The different methods of dust particles measurement are given. The design trade off and feasibility were studied. A glass bell jar system is used to evaluate various concepts for the Mars dust/wind environment simulation. It was observed that the external dust source injection is the best method to introduce the dust into the simulation system. The dust concentration of 30 Mg/M3 should be employed for preparing for the worst possible Martian atmosphere condition in the future. Two approaches thermal-panel shroud for the hardware conditioning are discussed. It is suggested the wind tunnel approach be used to study the dust charging characteristics then to be apply to the close-system cyclone approach. For the operation cost reduction purpose, a dehumidified ambient air could be used to replace the expensive CO2 mixture for some tests.

Behavior of ceramics at 1200 C in a simulated gas turbine environment

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, W. A.; Probst, H. B.

1974-01-01

This report summarizes programs at the NASA Lewis Research Center evaluating several classes of commercial ceramics, in a high gas velocity burner rig simulating a gas turbine engine environment. Testing of 23 ceramics in rod geometry identified SiC and Si3N4 as outstanding in resistance to oxidation and thermal stress and identified the failure modes of other ceramics. Further testing of a group of 15 types of SiC and Si3N4 in simulated vane shape geometry has identified a hot pressed SiC, a reaction sintered SiC, and hot pressed Si3N4 as the best of that group. SiC and Si3N4 test specimens were compared on the basis of weight change, dimensional reductions, metallography, fluorescent penetrant inspection, X-ray diffraction analyses, and failure mode.

Plasma environment of Titan: a 3-D hybrid simulation study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Simon

2006-05-01

Full Text Available Titan possesses a dense atmosphere, consisting mainly of molecular nitrogen. Titan's orbit is located within the Saturnian magnetosphere most of the time, where the corotating plasma flow is super-Alfvénic, yet subsonic and submagnetosonic. Since Titan does not possess a significant intrinsic magnetic field, the incident plasma interacts directly with the atmosphere and ionosphere. Due to the characteristic length scales of the interaction region being comparable to the ion gyroradii in the vicinity of Titan, magnetohydrodynamic models can only offer a rough description of Titan's interaction with the corotating magnetospheric plasma flow. For this reason, Titan's plasma environment has been studied by using a 3-D hybrid simulation code, treating the electrons as a massless, charge-neutralizing fluid, whereas a completely kinetic approach is used to cover ion dynamics. The calculations are performed on a curvilinear simulation grid which is adapted to the spherical geometry of the obstacle. In the model, Titan's dayside ionosphere is mainly generated by solar UV radiation; hence, the local ion production rate depends on the solar zenith angle. Because the Titan interaction features the possibility of having the densest ionosphere located on a face not aligned with the ram flow of the magnetospheric plasma, a variety of different scenarios can be studied. The simulations show the formation of a strong magnetic draping pattern and an extended pick-up region, being highly asymmetric with respect to the direction of the convective electric field. In general, the mechanism giving rise to these structures exhibits similarities to the interaction of the ionospheres of Mars and Venus with the supersonic solar wind. The simulation results are in agreement with data from recent Cassini flybys.

Plasma environment of Titan: a 3-D hybrid simulation study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Simon

2006-05-01

Full Text Available Titan possesses a dense atmosphere, consisting mainly of molecular nitrogen. Titan's orbit is located within the Saturnian magnetosphere most of the time, where the corotating plasma flow is super-Alfvénic, yet subsonic and submagnetosonic. Since Titan does not possess a significant intrinsic magnetic field, the incident plasma interacts directly with the atmosphere and ionosphere. Due to the characteristic length scales of the interaction region being comparable to the ion gyroradii in the vicinity of Titan, magnetohydrodynamic models can only offer a rough description of Titan's interaction with the corotating magnetospheric plasma flow. For this reason, Titan's plasma environment has been studied by using a 3-D hybrid simulation code, treating the electrons as a massless, charge-neutralizing fluid, whereas a completely kinetic approach is used to cover ion dynamics. The calculations are performed on a curvilinear simulation grid which is adapted to the spherical geometry of the obstacle. In the model, Titan's dayside ionosphere is mainly generated by solar UV radiation; hence, the local ion production rate depends on the solar zenith angle. Because the Titan interaction features the possibility of having the densest ionosphere located on a face not aligned with the ram flow of the magnetospheric plasma, a variety of different scenarios can be studied. The simulations show the formation of a strong magnetic draping pattern and an extended pick-up region, being highly asymmetric with respect to the direction of the convective electric field. In general, the mechanism giving rise to these structures exhibits similarities to the interaction of the ionospheres of Mars and Venus with the supersonic solar wind. The simulation results are in agreement with data from recent Cassini flybys.

Impact of ventilation rates on SBS symptoms and productivity in offices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wargocki, Pawel; Fanger, Povl Ole

1999-01-01

Perceived air quality, Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) symptoms and productivity were studied in a normally furnished office space ventilated with an outdoor air flow of 3, 10 and 30 L/s per person (corresponding to aiur changes of 0.6, 2.0 and 6 h-1, respectively), while all other environmental...... subjects occupied the office for 4.6 hours in the afternoon, six subjects at a time; they remained thermally neutral by adjusting their clothing. Subjects assessed perceived air quality and SBS symptoms, and performed simulated office work so that their productivity could be assessed. Increasing the supply...

Simulation of creep test on 316FR stainless steel in sodium environment at 550degC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satmoko, A.; Asayama, Tai

1999-04-01

In sodium environment, material 316FR stainless steel risks to suffer from carburization. In this study, an analysis using a Fortran program is conducted to evaluate the carbon influence on the creep behavior of 316FR based on experimental results from uni-axial creep test that had been performed at temperature 550degC in sodium environment simulating Fast Breeder Reactor condition. As performed in experiments, two parts are distinguished. At first, elastic-plastic behavior is used to simulate the fact that just before the beginning of creep test, specimen suffers from load or stress much higher than initial yield stress. In second part, creep condition occurs in which the applied load is kept constant. The plastic component should be included, since stresses increase due to section area reduction. For this reason, elastic-plastic-creep behavior is considered. Through time carbon penetration occurs and its concentration is evaluated empirically. This carburization phenomena are assumed to affect in increasing yield stress, decreasing creep strain rate, and increasing creep rupture strength of material. The model is capable of simulating creep test in sodium environment. Material near from surface risks to be carburized. Its material properties change leading to non-uniform distribution of stresses. Those layers of material suffer from stress concentration, and are subject to damage. By introducing a damage criteria, crack initialization can thus be predicted. And even, crack growth can be evaluated. For high stress levels, tensile strength criterion is more important than creep damage criterion. But in low stress levels, the latter gives more influence in fracture. Under high stress, time to rupture of a specimen in sodium environment is shorter than in air. But for stresses lower than 26 kgf/mm 2 , the time to rupture of creep in sodium environment is the same or little longer than in air. Quantitatively, the carburization effect at 550degC is not important. This

Cooperation Between Probation Officers and Other Services in Implementing Prevention and Social Rehabilitation Tasks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danuta Jurczyk

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the current legal regulations dealing with the tasks and duties of probation officers, as well as the misinterpretation of the role of probation officers in the mass media, among employees of other institutions and the charges of the officers. The authors have described a few of the most essential differences in working with an individual and his environment between career officers, social workers and police officers. They have stressed that understanding the differences in the scope of duties, as well as undertaking effective cooperation, are the key factors that affect the effectiveness of social rehabilitation interactions.

ENVIRONMENT: a computational platform to stochastically simulate reacting and self-reproducing lipid compartments

Science.gov (United States)

Mavelli, Fabio; Ruiz-Mirazo, Kepa

2010-09-01

'ENVIRONMENT' is a computational platform that has been developed in the last few years with the aim to simulate stochastically the dynamics and stability of chemically reacting protocellular systems. Here we present and describe some of its main features, showing how the stochastic kinetics approach can be applied to study the time evolution of reaction networks in heterogeneous conditions, particularly when supramolecular lipid structures (micelles, vesicles, etc) coexist with aqueous domains. These conditions are of special relevance to understand the origins of cellular, self-reproducing compartments, in the context of prebiotic chemistry and evolution. We contrast our simulation results with real lab experiments, with the aim to bring together theoretical and experimental research on protocell and minimal artificial cell systems.

MaGate Simulator: A Simulation Environment for a Decentralized Grid Scheduler

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Ye; Brocco, Amos; Courant, Michele; Hirsbrunner, Beat; Kuonen, Pierre

This paper presents a simulator for of a decentralized modular grid scheduler named MaGate. MaGate’s design emphasizes scheduler interoperability by providing intelligent scheduling serving the grid community as a whole. Each MaGate scheduler instance is able to deal with dynamic scheduling conditions, with continuously arriving grid jobs. Received jobs are either allocated on local resources, or delegated to other MaGates for remote execution. The proposed MaGate simulator is based on GridSim toolkit and Alea simulator, and abstracts the features and behaviors of complex fundamental grid elements, such as grid jobs, grid resources, and grid users. Simulation of scheduling tasks is supported by a grid network overlay simulator executing distributed ant-based swarm intelligence algorithms to provide services such as group communication and resource discovery. For evaluation, a comparison of behaviors of different collaborative policies among a community of MaGates is provided. Results support the use of the proposed approach as a functional ready grid scheduler simulator.

CHAVIR: A virtual site simulation environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leservot, Arnauld; Chodorge, Laurent

2006-01-01

In nuclear field, any companies involved in the management and/or the design and performance of an intervention aim at preparing it, by finding the most appropriate scenario(s) under several needs: - Technical requirements: feasibility, kind of means to engage, operating modes, tasks scheduling; - economical requirements: global mission cost minimization; - Environmental requirements: take into account the individual and collective dose rate received by the human operators involved in the intervention(s), according to the ALARA principle. Today, they also must answer complex questions to design their interventions with increasing reactivity and always lowering costs. Besides, they must be brought to answer unexpected situations during the effective realization of their nuclear interventions, and naturally to consolidate their experience feedback of the missions. An interesting way to help them in these different needs consists in taking advantage of simulation. The paper has the following contents: - Introduction; - CHAVIR project; - Goal; - Simulation and virtual reality; - Strategy; - Interactive dose evaluation; - Requirements; - Physical algorithm; - Objects representation; - Calculation optimization; - Interactive mechanical simulation; - First study cases; - Conclusion - prospects. To summarize, the authors succeeded in developing a software simulation tool, helping the users from nuclear field to prepare their interventions. CHAVIR allows interactive evaluation of dose rate, when taking into account real industrial models coming from CAD world. One can also perform mechanical simulations, to address accessibilities issues and design scenario involving either manual tasks of robotic interventions. CHAVIR is already entered the industrialization process. It aims at becoming shortly a commercial software tool for dismantling site simulation, adapted to the professional needs in order to respect the ALARA principle. It should efficiently contribute to optimize

Bringing Reality into Calculus Classrooms: Mathematizing a Real-life Problem Simulated in a Virtual Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olga V. Shipulina

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The study explores how students, who had completed the AP calculus course, mathematized the optimal navigation real-life problem simulated in the Second Life Virtual Environment. The particular research interest was to investigate whether/how students’ empirical activity in VE influences the way of their mathematizing.

Aerosol transport simulations in indoor and outdoor environments using computational fluid dynamics (CFD)

Science.gov (United States)

Landazuri, Andrea C.

This dissertation focuses on aerosol transport modeling in occupational environments and mining sites in Arizona using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The impacts of human exposure in both environments are explored with the emphasis on turbulence, wind speed, wind direction and particle sizes. Final emissions simulations involved the digitalization process of available elevation contour plots of one of the mining sites to account for realistic topographical features. The digital elevation map (DEM) of one of the sites was imported to COMSOL MULTIPHYSICSRTM for subsequent turbulence and particle simulations. Simulation results that include realistic topography show considerable deviations of wind direction. Inter-element correlation results using metal and metalloid size resolved concentration data using a Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI) under given wind speeds and directions provided guidance on groups of metals that coexist throughout mining activities. Groups between Fe-Mg, Cr-Fe, Al-Sc, Sc-Fe, and Mg-Al are strongly correlated for unrestricted wind directions and speeds, suggesting that the source may be of soil origin (e.g. ore and tailings); also, groups of elements where Cu is present, in the coarse fraction range, may come from mechanical action mining activities and saltation phenomenon. Besides, MOUDI data under low wind speeds (Computational Fluid Dynamics can be used as a source apportionment tool to identify areas that have an effect over specific sampling points and susceptible regions under certain meteorological conditions, and these conclusions can be supported with inter-element correlation matrices and lead isotope analysis, especially since there is limited access to the mining sites. Additional results concluded that grid adaption is a powerful tool that allows to refine specific regions that require lots of detail and therefore better resolve flow detail, provides higher number of locations with monotonic convergence than the

Act concerning the establishment of a Federal Office for Radiation Protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

The Federal Office for Radiation Protection shall be placed under the competence of the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Reactor Safety, and shall have the powers of a higher federal authority. The Office shall have its seat in Salzgitter. The Office shall fulfil administrative tasks within the federal powers in the fields of radiation protection including preventive radiation protection, nuclear safety, transport of radioactive materials, and nuclear waste management including the construction and operation of installations under the competence of the Federal Covernment, for the collection and ultimate disposal of nuclear wastes. The Office shall fulfil such Federal tasks as are defined in these areas by the Atomic Energy Act, the Act on Preventive Radiation Protection, or any other federal act, or such tasks as will be assigned to the Office on the basis of said acts. Any amendments of the above acts required for proper fulfilment of tasks by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection shall be duly announced. (orig./HP) [de

On the Efficient Simulation of Outage Probability in a Log-normal Fading Environment

KAUST Repository

Rached, Nadhir B.

2017-02-15

The outage probability (OP) of the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) is an important metric that is used to evaluate the performance of wireless systems. One difficulty toward assessing the OP is that, in realistic scenarios, closed-form expressions cannot be derived. This is for instance the case of the Log-normal environment, in which evaluating the OP of the SINR amounts to computing the probability that a sum of correlated Log-normal variates exceeds a given threshold. Since such a probability does not admit a closed-form expression, it has thus far been evaluated by several approximation techniques, the accuracies of which are not guaranteed in the region of small OPs. For these regions, simulation techniques based on variance reduction algorithms is a good alternative, being quick and highly accurate for estimating rare event probabilities. This constitutes the major motivation behind our work. More specifically, we propose a generalized hybrid importance sampling scheme, based on a combination of a mean shifting and a covariance matrix scaling, to evaluate the OP of the SINR in a Log-normal environment. We further our analysis by providing a detailed study of two particular cases. Finally, the performance of these techniques is performed both theoretically and through various simulation results.

On the Efficient Simulation of Outage Probability in a Log-normal Fading Environment

KAUST Repository

Rached, Nadhir B.; Kammoun, Abla; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Tempone, Raul

2017-01-01

The outage probability (OP) of the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) is an important metric that is used to evaluate the performance of wireless systems. One difficulty toward assessing the OP is that, in realistic scenarios, closed-form expressions cannot be derived. This is for instance the case of the Log-normal environment, in which evaluating the OP of the SINR amounts to computing the probability that a sum of correlated Log-normal variates exceeds a given threshold. Since such a probability does not admit a closed-form expression, it has thus far been evaluated by several approximation techniques, the accuracies of which are not guaranteed in the region of small OPs. For these regions, simulation techniques based on variance reduction algorithms is a good alternative, being quick and highly accurate for estimating rare event probabilities. This constitutes the major motivation behind our work. More specifically, we propose a generalized hybrid importance sampling scheme, based on a combination of a mean shifting and a covariance matrix scaling, to evaluate the OP of the SINR in a Log-normal environment. We further our analysis by providing a detailed study of two particular cases. Finally, the performance of these techniques is performed both theoretically and through various simulation results.

Assessment of susceptibility of Type 304 stainless steel to intergranular stress corrosion cracking in simulated Savannah River Reactor environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ondrejcin, R.S.; Caskey, C.R. Jr.

1989-01-01

Intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) of Type 304 stainless steel rate tests (CERT) of specimens machined was evaluated by constant extension from Savannah River Plant (SRP) decontaminated process water piping. Results from 12 preliminary CERT tests verified that IGSCC occurred over a wide range of simulated SRP envirorments. 73 specimens were tested in two statistical experimental designs of the central composite class. In one design, testing was done in environments containing hydrogen peroxide; in the other design, hydrogen peroxide was omitted but oxygen was added to the environment. Prediction equations relating IGSCC to temperature and environmental variables were formulated. Temperature was the most important independent variable. IGSCC was severe at 100 to 120C and a threshold temperature between 40C and 55C was identified below which IGSCC did not occur. In environments containing hydrogen peroxide, as in SRP operation, a reduction in chloride concentration from 30 to 2 ppB also significantly reduced IGSCC. Reduction in sulfate concentration from 50 to 7 ppB was effective in reducing IGSCC provided the chloride concentration was 30 ppB or less and temperature was 95C or higher. Presence of hydrogen peroxide in the environment increased IGSCC except when chloride concentration was 11 ppB or less. Actual concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, oxygen and carbon dioxide did not affect IGSCC. Large positive ECP values (+450 to +750 mV Standard Hydrogen Electrode (SHE)) in simulated SRP environments containing hydrogen peroxide and were good agreement with ECP measurements made in SRP reactors, indicating that the simulated environments are representative of SRP reactor environments. Overall CERT results suggest that the most effective method to reduce IGSCC is to reduce chloride and sulfate concentrations

Design and Implementation of a Space Environment Simulation Toolbox for Small Satellites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Amini, Rouzbeh; Larsen, Jesper A.; Izadi-Zamanabadi, Roozbeh

2005-01-01

This paper presents a developed toolbox for space environment model in SIMULINK that facilitates development and design of Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS) for a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) spacecraft. The toolbox includes, among others, models of orbit propagators, disturbances, Earth...... gravity field, Earth magnetic field and eclipse. The structure and facilities within the toolbox are described and exemplified using a student satellite case (AAUSAT-II). The validity of developed models is confirmed by comparing the simulation results with the realistic data obtained from the Danish...

Influence of anatomic landmarks in the virtual environment on simulated angled laparoscope navigation

OpenAIRE

Buzink, S.N.; Christie, L.S.; Goossens, R.H.M.; De Ridder, H.; Jakimowicz, J.J.

2010-01-01

Background - The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the presence of anatomic landmarks on the performance of angled laparoscope navigation on the SimSurgery SEP simulator. Methods - Twenty-eight experienced laparoscopic surgeons (familiar with 30º angled laparoscope, >100 basic laparoscopic procedures, >5 advanced laparoscopic procedures) and 23 novices (no laparoscopy experience) performed the Camera Navigation task in an abstract virtual environment (CN-box) and in a virtu...

40 CFR 1.27 - Offices of the Associate Administrators.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... cooperation with foreign organizations. The Office coordinates Agency international contacts and commitments... establishes Agency policy, and approves annual plans and modifications for travel abroad and attendance at.... 1.27 Section 1.27 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GENERAL STATEMENT OF...

Usability Considerations in Developing a Graphic Interface for Intra Office Communications

Science.gov (United States)

Yammiyavar, Pradeep; Jain, Piyush

This paper outlines the basis of incorporating functional features in a new GUI based software under development for addressing comprehensive communication and interaction needs within an office environment. Bench marking of features in existing communication software products such as Microsoft Outlook, IBM Lotusnotes, Office Communicator, Mozilla Thunderbird etc. was done by asking a set of questions related to the usage of these existing softwares. Usability issues were identified through a user survey involving 30 subjects of varied profiles (domain, designation, age etc.) in a corporate office. It is posited that existing software products that have been developed for a universal market may be highly underutilized or have redundant features especially for use as an intra office (within the same office) communication medium. Simultaneously they may not cater to some very contextual requirements of intra office communications. Based on the findings of the survey of feature preferences & usability of existing products, a simple 'person to person' communicating medium for intra office situations was visualized with a new interactive GUI. Usability issues that need to be considered for a new intra-office product have been brought out.

Building envelope influence on the annual energy performance in office buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harmati Norbert L.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of the research is to determine the quantitative influence of building envelope on the annual heating and cooling energy demand in office buildings demonstrated on a reference office-tower building located in Novi Sad, Serbia. The investigation intended to find preferable and applicable solutions for energy performance improvement in currently inefficient office buildings. A comparative and evaluative analysis was performed among the heating energy expenses and simulated values from the multi-zone model designed in EnergyPlus engine. The research determines an improved window to wall ratio using dynamic daylight simulation and presents the influence of glazing parameters (U-value, Solar heat gain coefficient - SHGC on the annual energy performance. Findings presented window to wall ratio reduction down to 30% and point out the significance of the SHGC parameter on the overall energy performance of buildings with high internal loads. The calculation of the air-ventilation energy demand according to EN 15251 is included respectively. Results offer effective methods for energy performance improvement in temperate climate conditions.

Wireless local area network for the dental office.

Science.gov (United States)

Mupparapu, Muralidhar

2004-01-01

Dental offices are no exception to the implementation of new and advanced technology, especially if it enhances productivity. In a rapidly transforming digital world, wireless technology has a special place, as it has truly "retired the wire" and contributed to the ease and efficient access to patient data and other software-based applications for diagnosis and treatment. If the office or the clinic is networked, access to patient management software, imaging software and treatment planning tools is enhanced. Access will be further enhanced and unrestricted if the entire network is wireless. As with any new, emerging technology, there will be issues that should be kept in mind before adapting to the wireless environment. Foremost is the network security involved in the installation and use of these wireless networks. This short, technical manuscript deals with standards and choices in wireless technology currently available for implementation within a dental office. The benefits of each network security protocol available to protect patient data and boost the efficiency of a modern dental office are discussed.

Integrated Support Environment (ISE) Laboratory

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — Purpose:The Integrated Support Environment (ISE) Laboratory serves the fleet, in-service engineers, logisticians and program management offices by automatically and...

Alkali-resistant glass fiber reinforced high strength concrete in simulated aggressive environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwan, W.H.; Cheah, C.B.; Ramli, M.; Chang, K.Y.

2018-01-01

The durability of the alkali-resistant (AR) glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) in three simulated aggresive environments, namely tropical climate, cyclic air and seawater and seawater immersion was investigated. Durability examinations include chloride diffusion, gas permeability, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy examination (SEM). The fiber content is in the range of 0.6 % to 2.4 %. Results reveal that the specimen containing highest AR glass fiber content suffered severe strength loss in seawater environment and relatively milder strength loss under cyclic conditions. The permeability property was found to be more inferior with the increase in the fiber content of the concrete. This suggests that the AR glass fiber is not suitable for use as the fiber reinforcement in concrete is exposed to seawater. However, in both the tropical climate and cyclic wetting and drying, the incorporation of AR glass fiber prevents a drastic increase in permeability. [es

Assessing Reservoir Depositional Environments to Develop and Quantify Improvements in CO₂ Storage Efficiency. A Reservoir Simulation Approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Okwen, Roland [University of Illinois, Champaign, IL (United States); Frailey, Scott [University of Illinois, Champaign, IL (United States); Leetaru, Hannes [University of Illinois, Champaign, IL (United States); Moulton, Sandy [Illinois State Geological Survey, Champaign, IL (United States)

2014-09-30

The storage potential and fluid movement within formations are dependent on the unique hydraulic characteristics of their respective depositional environments. Storage efficiency (E) quantifies the potential for storage in a geologic depositional environment and is used to assess basinal or regional CO₂ storage resources. Current estimates of storage resources are calculated using common E ranges by lithology and not by depositional environment. The objectives of this project are to quantify E ranges and identify E enhancement strategies for different depositional environments via reservoir simulation studies. The depositional environments considered include deltaic, shelf clastic, shelf carbonate, fluvial deltaic, strandplain, reef, fluvial and alluvial, and turbidite. Strategies considered for enhancing E include CO₂ injection via vertical, horizontal, and deviated wells, selective completions, water production, and multi-well injection. Conceptual geologic and geocellular models of the depositional environments were developed based on data from Illinois Basin oil fields and gas storage sites. The geologic and geocellular models were generalized for use in other US sedimentary basins. An important aspect of this work is the development of conceptual geologic and geocellular models that reflect the uniqueness of each depositional environment. Different injection well completions methods were simulated to investigate methods of enhancing E in the presence of geologic heterogeneity specific to a depositional environment. Modeling scenarios included horizontal wells (length, orientation, and inclination), selective and dynamic completions, water production, and multiwell injection. A Geologic Storage Efficiency Calculator (GSECalc) was developed to calculate E from reservoir simulation output. Estimated E values were normalized to diminish their dependency on fluid relative permeability. Classifying depositional environments according to

A Study on Factors Affecting Navy Officers’ Decisions to Pursue Funded Graduate Education: A Qualitative Approach

Science.gov (United States)

2017-06-01

especially when 6 faced with uncertainty within an environment and specifically how graduate education enables officers to establish an extensive array...Navy flag officer is responsible to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations for ensuring the education programs, especially higher level programs, are...California, is the primary source of graduate education for naval officers, especially SWO officers. It is a fully 10 funded graduate level institution

STSE: Spatio-Temporal Simulation Environment Dedicated to Biology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gerber Susanne

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Recently, the availability of high-resolution microscopy together with the advancements in the development of biomarkers as reporters of biomolecular interactions increased the importance of imaging methods in molecular cell biology. These techniques enable the investigation of cellular characteristics like volume, size and geometry as well as volume and geometry of intracellular compartments, and the amount of existing proteins in a spatially resolved manner. Such detailed investigations opened up many new areas of research in the study of spatial, complex and dynamic cellular systems. One of the crucial challenges for the study of such systems is the design of a well stuctured and optimized workflow to provide a systematic and efficient hypothesis verification. Computer Science can efficiently address this task by providing software that facilitates handling, analysis, and evaluation of biological data to the benefit of experimenters and modelers. Results The Spatio-Temporal Simulation Environment (STSE is a set of open-source tools provided to conduct spatio-temporal simulations in discrete structures based on microscopy images. The framework contains modules to digitize, represent, analyze, and mathematically model spatial distributions of biochemical species. Graphical user interface (GUI tools provided with the software enable meshing of the simulation space based on the Voronoi concept. In addition, it supports to automatically acquire spatial information to the mesh from the images based on pixel luminosity (e.g. corresponding to molecular levels from microscopy images. STSE is freely available either as a stand-alone version or included in the linux live distribution Systems Biology Operational Software (SB.OS and can be downloaded from http://www.stse-software.org/. The Python source code as well as a comprehensive user manual and video tutorials are also offered to the research community. We discuss main concepts

STSE: Spatio-Temporal Simulation Environment Dedicated to Biology.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoma, Szymon; Fröhlich, Martina; Gerber, Susanne; Klipp, Edda

2011-04-28

Recently, the availability of high-resolution microscopy together with the advancements in the development of biomarkers as reporters of biomolecular interactions increased the importance of imaging methods in molecular cell biology. These techniques enable the investigation of cellular characteristics like volume, size and geometry as well as volume and geometry of intracellular compartments, and the amount of existing proteins in a spatially resolved manner. Such detailed investigations opened up many new areas of research in the study of spatial, complex and dynamic cellular systems. One of the crucial challenges for the study of such systems is the design of a well stuctured and optimized workflow to provide a systematic and efficient hypothesis verification. Computer Science can efficiently address this task by providing software that facilitates handling, analysis, and evaluation of biological data to the benefit of experimenters and modelers. The Spatio-Temporal Simulation Environment (STSE) is a set of open-source tools provided to conduct spatio-temporal simulations in discrete structures based on microscopy images. The framework contains modules to digitize, represent, analyze, and mathematically model spatial distributions of biochemical species. Graphical user interface (GUI) tools provided with the software enable meshing of the simulation space based on the Voronoi concept. In addition, it supports to automatically acquire spatial information to the mesh from the images based on pixel luminosity (e.g. corresponding to molecular levels from microscopy images). STSE is freely available either as a stand-alone version or included in the linux live distribution Systems Biology Operational Software (SB.OS) and can be downloaded from http://www.stse-software.org/. The Python source code as well as a comprehensive user manual and video tutorials are also offered to the research community. We discuss main concepts of the STSE design and workflow. We

Design and comfort in office space

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michele M. Lepore

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The theme of office space is of particular interest because it is a sector strongly involved by technological development. The high concentration of plant engineering systems makes it essential to the attention to environmental parameters and to research on the quality of the relationship which binds man to artificial dimension of built space. In the design of office spaces, the general objective must be to be able to achieve a new working environment relationship. A ratio in which optimal balance is always sought in terms of igrothermal, acoustic and luminous comfort conditions, without noting that the psychological and sociological component plays an important role among the environmental factors, and this significantly interferes with the conditions of physiological comfort. The following work is an essay on the subject.

Teachers' Conceptions and Their Approaches to Teaching in Virtual Reality and Simulation-Based Learning Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Keskitalo, Tuulikki

2011-01-01

This research article focuses on virtual reality (VR) and simulation-based training, with a special focus on the pedagogical use of the Virtual Centre of Wellness Campus known as ENVI (Rovaniemi, Finland). In order to clearly understand how teachers perceive teaching and learning in such environments, this research examines the concepts of…

Comparative study on the stress corrosion cracking of X70 pipeline steel in simulated shallow and deep sea environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Feilong [Corrosion and Protection Center, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Key Laboratory of Corrosion and Protection of Ministry of Education, Beijing 100083 (China); China Building Material Test & Certification Group Co. Ltd., Beijing 100024 (China); Ren, Shuai [Corrosion and Protection Center, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Key Laboratory of Corrosion and Protection of Ministry of Education, Beijing 100083 (China); Li, Zhong [Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2G6 (Canada); Liu, Zhiyong, E-mail: liuzhiyong7804@ustb.edu.cn [Corrosion and Protection Center, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Key Laboratory of Corrosion and Protection of Ministry of Education, Beijing 100083 (China); Li, Xiaogang; Du, Cuiwei [Corrosion and Protection Center, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Key Laboratory of Corrosion and Protection of Ministry of Education, Beijing 100083 (China)

2017-02-08

The stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of X70 steel in simulated shallow and deep sea environments was studied using potentiodynamic polarization measurement, a slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicate that the predominant cathodic reaction changes from an oxygen reduction reaction to the hydrogen evolution reaction as the dissolved oxygen (DO) content decreases. In the simulated deep sea environment, the SCC susceptibility of X70 steel decreased first, reached its lowest point at 15 MPa and then increased as the simulated sea hydrostatic pressure (HP) further increased. This is consistent with the regularity for the change of the cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction current density i{sub H} at E{sub corr}, which indicates that the HP may influence the SCC susceptibility of X70 steel by changing the permeated hydrogen concentration.

CoaSim: A Flexible Environment for Simulating Genetic Data under Coalescent Models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mailund; Schierup, Mikkel Heide; Pedersen, Christian Nørgaard Storm

2005-01-01

get insight into these. Results We have created the CoaSim application as a flexible environment for Monte various types of genetic data under equilibrium and non-equilibrium coalescent variety of applications. Interaction with the tool is through the Guile version scripting language. Scheme scripts......Background Coalescent simulations are playing a large role in interpreting large scale intra- polymorphism surveys and for planning and evaluating association studies. Coalescent of data sets under different models can be compared to the actual data to test different evolutionary factors and thus...

Tree-crown-resolving large-eddy simulation for evaluating greenery effects on urban heat environments

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuda, K.; Onishi, R.; Takahashi, K.

2017-12-01

Urban high temperatures due to the combined influence of global warming and urban heat islands increase the risk of heat stroke. Greenery is one of possible countermeasures for mitigating the heat environments since the transpiration and shading effect of trees can reduce the air temperature and the radiative heat flux. In order to formulate effective measures, it is important to estimate the influence of the greenery on the heat stroke risk. In this study, we have developed a tree-crown-resolving large-eddy simulation (LES) model that is coupled with three-dimensional radiative transfer (3DRT) model. The Multi-Scale Simulator for the Geoenvironment (MSSG) is used for performing building- and tree-crown-resolving LES. The 3DRT model is implemented in the MSSG so that the 3DRT is calculated repeatedly during the time integration of the LES. We have confirmed that the computational time for the 3DRT model is negligibly small compared with that for the LES and the accuracy of the 3DRT model is sufficiently high to evaluate the radiative heat flux at the pedestrian level. The present model is applied to the analysis of the heat environment in an actual urban area around the Tokyo Bay area, covering 8 km × 8 km with 5-m grid mesh, in order to confirm its feasibility. The results show that the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT), which is an indicator of the heat stroke risk, is predicted in a sufficiently high accuracy to evaluate the influence of tree crowns on the heat environment. In addition, by comparing with a case without the greenery in the Tokyo Bay area, we have confirmed that the greenery increases the low WBGT areas in major pedestrian spaces by a factor of 3.4. This indicates that the present model can predict the greenery effect on the urban heat environment quantitatively.

A parametric study of surface roughness and bonding mechanisms of aluminum alloys with epoxies: a molecular dynamics simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Timilsina, Rajendra; Termaath, Stephanie

The marine environment is highly aggressive towards most materials. However, aluminium-magnesium alloys (Al-Mg, specifically, 5xxx series) have exceptionally long service life in such aggressive marine environments. For instance, an Al-Mg alloy, AA5083, is extensively used in naval structures because of its good mechanical strength, formability, seawater corrosion resistance and weldability. However, bonding mechanisms of these alloys with epoxies in a rough surface environment are not fully understood yet. It requires a rigorous investigation at molecular or atomic levels. We performed a molecular dynamics simulation to study an adherend surface preparation and surface bonding mechanisms of Al-Mg alloy (AA5083) with different epoxies by developing several computer models. Various distributions of surface roughness are introduced in the models and performed molecular dynamics simulations. Formation of a beta phase (Al3Mg2) , microstructures, bonding energies at the interface, bonding strengths and durability are investigated. Office of Naval Research.

Monte Carlo simulations of the radiation environment for the CMS experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mallows, S., E-mail: sophie.mallows@cern.ch [KIT, Karlsruhe (Germany); Azhgirey, I.; Bayshev, I. [IHEP, Protvino (Russian Federation); Bergstrom, I.; Cooijmans, T.; Dabrowski, A.; Glöggler, L.; Guthoff, M. [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland); Kurochkin, I. [IHEP, Protvino (Russian Federation); Vincke, H.; Tajeda, S. [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland)

2016-07-11

Monte Carlo radiation transport codes are used by the CMS Beam Radiation Instrumentation and Luminosity (BRIL) project to estimate the radiation levels due to proton–proton collisions and machine induced background. Results are used by the CMS collaboration for various applications: comparison with detector hit rates, pile-up studies, predictions of radiation damage based on various models (Dose, NIEL, DPA), shielding design, estimations of residual dose environment. Simulation parameters, and the maintenance of the input files are summarized, and key results are presented. Furthermore, an overview of additional programs developed by the BRIL project to meet the specific needs of CMS community is given.

Monte Carlo simulations of the radiation environment for the CMS Experiment

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(CDS)2068566; Bayshev, I.; Bergstrom, I.; Cooijmans, T.; Dabrowski, A.; Glöggler, L.; Guthoff, M.; Kurochkin, I.; Vincke, H.; Tajeda, S.

2016-01-01

Monte Carlo radiation transport codes are used by the CMS Beam Radiation Instrumentation and Luminosity (BRIL) project to estimate the radiation levels due to proton-proton collisions and machine induced background. Results are used by the CMS collaboration for various applications: comparison with detector hit rates, pile-up studies, predictions of radiation damage based on various models (Dose, NIEL, DPA), shielding design, estimations of residual dose environment. Simulation parameters, and the maintenance of the input files are summarised, and key results are presented. Furthermore, an overview of additional programs developed by the BRIL project to meet the specific needs of CMS community is given.

Faster simulated laparoscopic cholecystectomy with haptic feedback technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yiasemidou M

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Marina Yiasemidou, Daniel Glassman, Peter Vasas, Sarit Badiani, Bijendra Patel Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Upper GI Surgery, Barts and The Royal London Hospital, London, UK Background: Virtual reality simulators have been gradually introduced into surgical training. One of the enhanced features of the latest virtual simulators is haptic feedback. The usefulness of haptic feedback technology has been a matter of controversy in recent years. Previous studies have assessed the importance of haptic feedback in executing parts of a procedure or basic tasks, such as tissue grasping. The aim of this study was to assess the role of haptic feedback within a structured educational environment, based on the performance of junior surgical trainees after undergoing substantial simulation training. Methods: Novices, whose performance was assessed after several repetitions of a task, were recruited for this study. The performance of senior house officers at the last stage of a validated laparoscopic cholecystectomy curriculum was assessed. Nine senior house officers completed a validated laparoscopic cholecystectomy curriculum on a haptic simulator and nine on a nonhaptic simulator. Performance in terms of mean total time, mean total number of movements, and mean total path length at the last level of the validated curriculum (full procedure of laparoscopic cholecystectomy was compared between the two groups. Results: Haptic feedback significantly reduced the time required to complete the full procedure of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (mean total time for nonhaptic machine 608.83 seconds, mean total time for haptic machine 553.27 seconds; P = 0.019 while maintaining safety standards similar to those of the nonhaptic machine (mean total number of movements: nonhaptic machine 583.74, haptic machine 603.93, P = 0.145, mean total path length: for nonhaptic machine 1207.37 cm, for haptic machine 1262.36 cm, P = 0

Changes in the convective population and thermodynamic environments in convection-permitting regional climate simulations over the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Rasmussen, K. L.; Prein, A. F.; Rasmussen, R. M.; Ikeda, K.; Liu, C.

2017-11-01

Novel high-resolution convection-permitting regional climate simulations over the US employing the pseudo-global warming approach are used to investigate changes in the convective population and thermodynamic environments in a future climate. Two continuous 13-year simulations were conducted using (1) ERA-Interim reanalysis and (2) ERA-Interim reanalysis plus a climate perturbation for the RCP8.5 scenario. The simulations adequately reproduce the observed precipitation diurnal cycle, indicating that they capture organized and propagating convection that most climate models cannot adequately represent. This study shows that weak to moderate convection will decrease and strong convection will increase in frequency in a future climate. Analysis of the thermodynamic environments supporting convection shows that both convective available potential energy (CAPE) and convective inhibition (CIN) increase downstream of the Rockies in a future climate. Previous studies suggest that CAPE will increase in a warming climate, however a corresponding increase in CIN acts as a balancing force to shift the convective population by suppressing weak to moderate convection and provides an environment where CAPE can build to extreme levels that may result in more frequent severe convection. An idealized investigation of fundamental changes in the thermodynamic environment was conducted by shifting a standard atmospheric profile by ± 5 °C. When temperature is increased, both CAPE and CIN increase in magnitude, while the opposite is true for decreased temperatures. Thus, even in the absence of synoptic and mesoscale variations, a warmer climate will provide more CAPE and CIN that will shift the convective population, likely impacting water and energy budgets on Earth.

Molecular simulations in electrochemistry : Electron and proton transfer reactions mediated by flavins in different molecular environments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kılıç, M.

2014-01-01

The aim of this thesis is to address specific questions about the role of solvent reorganization on electron transfer in different environments and about the calculation of acidity constant, as well. Particularly, we focus on molecular simulation of flavin in water and different protein (BLUF and