			Home About us Contact

Existing Methodologies (existing + methodology)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Engineering	42%

Selected Abstracts

The Dry Limit of Microbial Life in the Atacama Desert Revealed by Calorimetric Approaches

ENGINEERING IN LIFE SCIENCES (ELECTRONIC), Issue 5 2008
N. Barros
Abstract The Atacama desert in Chile is one of the driest and most lifeless environments on Earth. It rains possibly once a decade. NASA examined these soils as a model for the Martian environment by comparing their degradation activity with Martian soil and looking for "the dry limit of life". The existence of heterotrophic bacteria in Atacama soil was demonstrated by DNA extraction and by the isolation of microorganisms. So far, however, no data have been available about the metabolic activities in these soils due to the limitations of the existing methodologies when applied to desert soils. Calorimetry was used to obtain information on the metabolic and thermal properties of eleven soil samples collected at different sites in the Atacama desert. Differential scanning calorimetry and isothermal calorimetry were employed to determine the pyrolysis properties of the carbon-containing matter and to measure biomass and microbial metabolism. They were compared to other soil properties such as total carbon and nitrogen, carbon to nitrogen ratio and pH. There was measurable organic matter in nine of the eleven samples and the heat of pyrolysis of those soils was correlated to the carbon content. In five of the eleven samples no biomass could be detected and the existence of basal microbial metabolism could not be established because all samples showed endothermic activity, probably from inorganic reactions with water. Six samples showed microbial activation after the addition of glucose. Carbon content, nitrogen content and the microbial activity after glucose amendment were correlated to the altitude and to the average minimum temperature of the sampling sites calculated from meteorological data. The detectable microbial metabolism was more dissipative with increasing altitude and decreasing temperature. [source]

Efficient sampling for spatial uncertainty quantification in multibody system dynamics applications

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2009
Kyle P. Schmitt
Abstract We present two methods for efficiently sampling the response (trajectory space) of multibody systems operating under spatial uncertainty, when the latter is assumed to be representable with Gaussian processes. In this case, the dynamics (time evolution) of the multibody systems depends on spatially indexed uncertain parameters that span infinite-dimensional spaces. This places a heavy computational burden on existing methodologies, an issue addressed herein with two new conditional sampling approaches. When a single instance of the uncertainty is needed in the entire domain, we use a fast Fourier transform technique. When the initial conditions are fixed and the path distribution of the dynamical system is relatively narrow, we use an incremental sampling approach that is fast and has a small memory footprint. Both methods produce the same distributions as the widely used Cholesky-based approaches. We illustrate this convergence at a smaller computational effort and memory cost for a simple non-linear vehicle model. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Intersubjectivity: Towards a Dialogical Analysis

JOURNAL FOR THE THEORY OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, Issue 1 2010
ALEX GILLESPIE
Intersubjectivity refers to the variety of possible relations between perspectives. It is indispensable for understanding human social behaviour. While theoretical work on intersubjectivity is relatively sophisticated, methodological approaches to studying intersubjectivity lag behind. Most methodologies assume that individuals are the unit of analysis. In order to research intersubjectivity, however, methodologies are needed that take relationships as the unit of analysis. The first aim of this article is to review existing methodologies for studying intersubjectivity. Four methodological approaches are reviewed: comparative self-report, observing behaviour, analysing talk and ethnographic engagement. The second aim of the article is to introduce and contribute to the development of a dialogical method of analysis. The dialogical approach enables the study of intersubjectivity at different levels, as both implicit and explicit, and both within and between individuals and groups. The article concludes with suggestions for using the proposed method for researching intersubjectivity both within individuals and between individuals and groups. [source]

A COMPLETE THEORY OF COMPARATIVE STATICS FOR DIFFERENTIABLE OPTIMIZATION PROBLEMS

METROECONOMICA, Issue 1 2006
M. Hossein Partovi
ABSTRACT A new comparative statics formalism using generalized compensated derivatives is presented that, in contrast to existing methodologies, directly yields constraint-free semidefiniteness results for any differentiable, constrained optimization problem. The formalism provides a natural and powerful method of constructing comparative statics results, free of constraints and unrestricted in scope. New results on envelope relations, invariance conditions, rank inequalities and non-uniqueness are derived that greatly extend their utility and reach. The methodology is illustrated by deriving the comparative statics of multiple linear constraint utility maximization models and the principal-agent problem with hidden actions, both highly nontrivial and hitherto unsolved problems. [source]

Operational performance metrics for mars exploration rovers

JOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS (FORMERLY JOURNAL OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS), Issue 8-9 2007
Edward Tunstel
The concept of operational performance metrics and associated measurement issues is explored for deployed robotic systems. The focus is on performance of mobility and robotic arm autonomy exercised on the NASA Mars Exploration Rovers surface mission. This planetary rover mission has been underway for nearly 3 years since January 2004 using two rovers performing separate missions. The autonomy functions of surface navigation, short-distance approach to surface science targets, and robotic placement of armmounted instruments on science targets are considered. Operational metrics that measure performance of these functions relative to system requirements are advocated. Specific metrics are defined and computed using telemetry from the rovers' multiyear operations on Mars and applied to rate performance during their respective missions. An existing methodology is applied to compute metrics with respect to required performance and to aggregate multiple metrics into a composite performance score for each rover. The formulation is augmented to accommodate importance weights that add flexibility in use of the metrics by different potential endusers, e.g., sponsors, program managers, systems engineers, and technologists. A brief example illustrates the application and effect of importance weights on overall rover performance scores. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

Analytische Herleitung von Anforderungen an den Luftschallschutz zwischen Räumen

BAUPHYSIK, Issue 4 2009
Beratender Ingenieur VBI Wolfgang Moll Prof. Ing.
Schall; Technische Regelwerke; sound protection and acoustics; technical recommendations Abstract Vor dem Hintergrund der Auseinandersetzungen um die Höhe des Schallschutzes der zurzeit überarbeiteten DIN 4109 "Schallschutz im Hochbau" befasst sich der Autor kritisch mit der bisherigen Art der Festlegung bauakustischer Anforderungen. In Anbetracht der fehlenden physikalischen Legitimation dieser Anforderungen , früher an die Schalldämmwerte, jetzt an die Schallschutzwerte , schlägt der Verfasser die gezielte Berechnung der nachhallzeitbezogenen Schallschutzanforderungen vor, und zwar auf der Basis allgemein bekannter Ausgangsdaten, wie z. B. der Schallleistung der einzelnen Quellen, der Verdeckung durch den Grundpegel etc. Das Verfahren wird ausführlich erläutert und beispielhaft erklärt. Für die Abstufungen Mindestschallschutz, erhöhter Schallschutz, hoher Schallschutz werden Basiswerte vorgeschlagen, die dann in die gezielte Bestimmung der Anforderungsgrößen einfließen. Analytical derivation of requirements for airborne sound insulation between rooms. Against the background of the debate about sound protection levels in the current revision of DIN 4109 "Sound insulation in buildings" the author critically examines the existing methodology for determining acoustic requirements. In view of the lack of physical legitimation of these requirements , previously sound insulation values, now sound protection values , the author proposes targeted calculation of reverberation-related sound protection requirements based on generally known basic data, including the sound power levels of individual sources, masking through background noise, etc. The technique is explained in detail and illustrated by means of examples. Basic values are proposed for minimum sound protection, increased sound protection and high sound protection, which are then used for determining the requirements for individual parameters. [source]

Forecasting Daily Patient Volumes in the Emergency Department

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 2 2008
Spencer S. Jones MStat
Abstract Background:, Shifts in the supply of and demand for emergency department (ED) resources make the efficient allocation of ED resources increasingly important. Forecasting is a vital activity that guides decision-making in many areas of economic, industrial, and scientific planning, but has gained little traction in the health care industry. There are few studies that explore the use of forecasting methods to predict patient volumes in the ED. Objectives:, The goals of this study are to explore and evaluate the use of several statistical forecasting methods to predict daily ED patient volumes at three diverse hospital EDs and to compare the accuracy of these methods to the accuracy of a previously proposed forecasting method. Methods:, Daily patient arrivals at three hospital EDs were collected for the period January 1, 2005, through March 31, 2007. The authors evaluated the use of seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average, time series regression, exponential smoothing, and artificial neural network models to forecast daily patient volumes at each facility. Forecasts were made for horizons ranging from 1 to 30 days in advance. The forecast accuracy achieved by the various forecasting methods was compared to the forecast accuracy achieved when using a benchmark forecasting method already available in the emergency medicine literature. Results:, All time series methods considered in this analysis provided improved in-sample model goodness of fit. However, postsample analysis revealed that time series regression models that augment linear regression models by accounting for serial autocorrelation offered only small improvements in terms of postsample forecast accuracy, relative to multiple linear regression models, while seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average, exponential smoothing, and artificial neural network forecasting models did not provide consistently accurate forecasts of daily ED volumes. Conclusions:, This study confirms the widely held belief that daily demand for ED services is characterized by seasonal and weekly patterns. The authors compared several time series forecasting methods to a benchmark multiple linear regression model. The results suggest that the existing methodology proposed in the literature, multiple linear regression based on calendar variables, is a reasonable approach to forecasting daily patient volumes in the ED. However, the authors conclude that regression-based models that incorporate calendar variables, account for site-specific special-day effects, and allow for residual autocorrelation provide a more appropriate, informative, and consistently accurate approach to forecasting daily ED patient volumes. [source]