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Data driven multi-objective optimization of the scheduling for towing a floating offshore wind turbine between assembly port and installation location throughout a year
Get PDFHigh demand for the installation of floating offshore wind turbines over the coming years is likely to place significant pressure on ports and installation vessels. Optimization of the routes between ports and farms and the towing schedule when transporting equipment is therefore critical to reducing operation timescales and carbon emissions. This paper presents two series of multi-objective optimizations for minimizing the timescale and carbon emissions for the case of an IEA 15 MW turbine on a VolturnUS-S platform being wet towed through the English Channel to the Celtic Sea. The study makes use of the Maritime Simulation Laboratory (MSL) Ship Simulator to develop an empirical model of the floating offshore wind turbine being towed under different wind conditions. This is then combined with bathymetry data and historical metocean data from the year 2021 to perform the optimizations. The optimization results are used to feed a second optimization that creates a schedule reducing both emissions and cumulated towing time during a whole year for different number of floating offshore wind turbines
Smart Aquaculture Technology: Building Climate Resilience and Food Security in the Agrifood Supply Chain
No full textThis paper examines the impacts of climate change on fish production within the agrifood supply chain and its implications for food security. It reviews smart aquaculture technologies as key adaptation and mitigation strategies for sustainable fish production and resilient food security. Adaptation measures include data-driven tools for site and species selection, as well as automated monitoring systems and predictive models that enable proactive risk management under climate variability. Mitigation strategies focus on reducing the sector’s carbon footprint through optimized feed utilization, waste reduction, and the integration of renewable energy sources. Findings suggest that smart aquaculture not only strengthens production efficiency and reduces environmental impacts but also enhances agrifood supply chain resilience by stabilizing fish supply, improving resource use across value chain logistics, and supporting reliable market distribution. By harnessing smart technologies, the aquaculture sector can adapt to climate change, mitigate environmental pressures, and ensure a resilient agrifood supply chain that underpins sustainable fish production and long-term food security
Reflections on a three-year journey of publishing in the BDJ
No full textThe British Dental Journal Top Tips series has now completed three years of regular publishing in almost every issue (https://www.nature.com/collections/toptips).The series has year on year been the most read collection of content in the journal, and for many has become a ready resource for clinical tips and advice from experts in their field. The series is soon to become a Springer Nature textbook where the series of over 60 articles will become a compendium of practical dentistry.My personal journey with Top Tips started when BDJ News Editor, Kate Quinlan, suggested I write a periodontology Top Tips, and the rest is history, so to speak. Collaborating with colleagues and Kate has been a pleasure and the range of topic areas covered have been eclectic - from implant dentistry to tips on posture. In this issue (Volume 238 Issue 1), there is a ‘Top tips for the management of temporomandibular disorders\u27 from authors in Dundee.Looking at online hits gives an insight into areas where hard pressed clinicians are looking for clinical tips, with the most popular Top tips article having 3,164 accesses to date: ‘Top tips for removable partial dentures: Part 2 - acrylic removable partial dentures\u27, published in 2023
Utility of a hybrid approach to the hadronic vacuum polarization contribution to the muon anomalous magnetic moment
Get PDFAn accurate calculation of the leading-order hadronic vacuum polarization (LOHVP) contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon (aμ) is key to determining whether a discrepancy, suggesting new physics, exists between the Standard Model and experimental results. This calculation can be expressed as an integral over Euclidean time of a current-current correlator G(t), where G(t) can be calculated using lattice QCD or, with dispersion relations, from experimental data for e+e-→hadrons. The BMW/DMZ collaboration recently presented a hybrid approach in which G(t) is calculated using lattice QCD for most of the contributing t range, but using experimental data for the largest t (lowest energy) region. Here we study the advantages of varying the position t=t1 separating lattice QCD from data-driven contributions. The total LOHVP contribution should be independent of t1, providing both a test of the experimental input and the robustness of the hybrid approach. We use this criterion and a correlated fit to show that Fermilab/HPQCD/MILC lattice QCD results from 2019 strongly favor the CMD-3 cross section data for e+e-→π+π- over a combination of earlier experimental results for this channel. Further, the resulting total LOHVP contribution obtained is consistent with the result obtained by BMW/DMZ, and supports the scenario in which there is no significant discrepancy between the experimental value for aμ and that expected in the Standard Model. We then discuss how improved lattice results in this hybrid approach could provide a more accurate total LOHVP across a wider range of t1 values with an uncertainty that is smaller than that from either lattice QCD or data-driven approaches on their own
Considering behaviour in genetic sampling – a case study with grey seals
Get PDFGenetic variations are increasingly linked to intra-specific behavioural variations. Advancing our knowledge of behavioural genetics could make screening populations for genetic polymorphisms associated with behavioural variations possible. Genetic-behaviour links have been increasingly discovered in terrestrial mammals, but there are few comparable studies in marine mammals. Developing efficient and cost-effective genetic sampling techniques is essential to allow more studies on behavioural genetics in lesser researched marine mammals. This study explores the potential of a sampling technique, still in its infancy in marine mammal studies, that has potential to cause minimal stress to the animals. Buccal swabs were tested in a group of grey seals in a rehabilitation centre. The swabs showed potential for being able to carry out individual genotype analysis to identify polymorphisms; a SNP in the grey seal DRD4 gene not previously reported in any other studies was found. However, some inconsistent results from PCR amplification and Sanger sequencing suggest that further technical development is necessary before it can be reliably used in an efficient way and not cause stress to wild individuals.The role of behaviour in influencing genetic studies is also discussed in this study. Haul-out site preferences have been shown in the literature to create separate genetically-distinct populations in small geographical ranges. This study suggests individual haul-out site preferences as a consideration in genetic studies in pinnipeds in order to collect samples that are representative of the whole population. Preferences in the same grey seals were observed using an ethogram. There were consistent differences between individuals in their use of haul-out zones at the rescue centre. This may indicate behavioural variation could be interesting to capture and shouldn’t be overlooked when designing sampling methodology. Suggestions are made for individual characteristics, such as injury and personality, to be accounted for where possible when conducting genetic studies
Navigating the complexities of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) from risk factors to outcome: insights from the UK Biobank cohort
Get PDFBACKGROUND: The global prevalence of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is increasing despite optimal management of traditional risk factors such as hyperglycaemia, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia. This study examines the influence of cardiorenal risk factors, socioeconomic status, and ethnic and cardiovascular comorbidities on ESKD outcomes in the general population.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study analysed data from 502,408 UK Biobank study participants recruited between 2006 and 2010. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to assess risk factors for ESKD, with results presented as adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).
RESULTS: A total of 1191 (0.2%) of the study participants reported ESKD. Diabetes increased ESKD risk by 62% [1.62 (1.36-1.93)], with early-onset diabetes (before age 40) conferring higher odds compared to later-onset (after age 40) [2.26 (1.57-3.24)]. Similarly, early-onset hypertension (before age 40), compared to later onset (after age 40), increased ESKD odds by 73% [1.73 (1.21-2.44)]. Cardiovascular comorbidities, including stroke, hypertension, myocardial infarction and angina, were strongly associated with ESKD [5.97 (3.99-8.72), 5.35 (4.38-6.56), 4.94 (3.56-6.78), and 4.89 (3.47-6.81)], respectively. Males were at 22% higher risk of ESKD than females [1.22 (1.04-1.43)]. Each additional year of diabetes duration increased ESKD odds by 2% [1.02 (1.01-1.03)]. Non-white ethnicity, compared to white and socioeconomically most deprived, compared to the least deprived quintiles, were at 70% and 83% higher odds of ESKD. Each unit of HbA1c rise increased the odds of ESKD by 2%. Compared to microalbuminuria, macroalbuminuria increased the odds of ESKD by almost 10-fold [9.47 (7.95-11.27)] while normoalbuminuria reduced the odds by 73% [0.27 (0.22-0.32)].
CONCLUSIONS: Early onset of diabetes and hypertension, male sex, non-white ethnicity, deprivation, poor glycaemic control, and prolonged hyperglycaemia are significant risk factors for ESKD. These findings highlight the complexity of ESKD and the need for multifactorial targeted interventions in high-risk populations.
CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable
Instruments autèntics?: L’adquisició d’instruments catalans a través de les cartes de Victor-Charles Mahillon
No full textGamifying anatomy outreach: An underexplored opportunity
Get PDFThis article explores the underutilized potential of incorporating gamified approaches into anatomy outreach initiatives. While gamification and game-based learning approaches have been widely adopted in formal educational settings, there is a surprising lack of research on their application for community-based public engagement with anatomy. We emphasize the importance of involving community partners from the outset to co-design gamified outreach activities. A collaborative approach tailors the final products to the needs, preferences, and resources of the target audiences. By actively involving end users, co-design fosters a sense of ownership, relevance, and long-term sustainability for the educational resources. This article also presents a practical guide for evidence-based implementation of gamified anatomy outreach, drawing on key learning theories. We discuss strategies for supporting participant motivation and fostering an optimal “flow” state, as well as principles of cognitive load theory and social learning. We also apply each of these theoretical frameworks to illustrative examples, demonstrating how gamified learning can enhance the accessibility, engagement, and retention of complex anatomical concepts. We conclude by presenting practical distinctions between implementing gamified approaches in academic versus community settings, highlighting considerations around technology, resources, and audience diversity. By bridging the gap between gamified learning research and public engagement principles, this article aims to provide practical guidance for anatomy educators, outreach coordinators, and game designers seeking to create more accessible, equitable, and impactful experiences for their communities
On the sensitivity of short design waves for semi-submersible wind platforms
Get PDFDetermining ultimate loads and platform motions is essential for both survivability and cost-effectiveness in the development of floating offshore wind. Current design standards utilise time-consuming methodologies that rely on irregular sea state simulations to determine design loads. Design waves offer the potential to accelerate the design process through the simulation of shorter wave profiles that specifically target extreme responses. However, it is not well understood how reliable design waves are for floating devices. Using a mid-fidelity numerical tool, this paper explores the characteristic loads produced by four design wave methods for a semi-submersible floating wind device over a wide range of environmental conditions, using the traditional approach as a benchmark. The results show that for most sea states there is a design wave method that is at least as conservative as the traditional approach. Furthermore, single design waves can be used to identify extreme sea states for more detailed analysis, saving considerable time at the early design stage. Finally, if the most efficient design wave is used for each sea state, there is potential for significant speed up within the design process, but this will rely on being able to reliably identify the method in advance
Intra-Active \u27World-Making\u27: Hope,Education, Utopias and PotentialEco-Socially Just Futures
Get PDFThe paper is an edited extract from an MA Education Dissertation that researched the discernment of hope with young people through the Philosophy for/with Children (P4wC) process. Through the paper the role of hope in the utopian project of education is considered in rapport with the ethico-onto-epistem-ology of Agential Realism (Barad, 2007) and how education is in relationship to how we imagine and create futures as collaborative ‘world-making’ communities. The paper begins by conceptualising hope through historical and contemporary theory and debate, whilst suggesting hope is a Living Narrative of ‘openings’ and future potentials. Through exploring critical education theory (Freire, 1994; Giroux, 2011), feminist perspectives (Haraway, 1997; Held, 2006), Agential Realism (Barad, 2007) and pedagogies of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) (UNESCO, 2019) the paper dialogues with the entanglement of hope, utopias and the imaginary of education. Throughout the paper the role of teacher, the classroom as a pluriversal (s)place, and pedagogy are regarded as part of an educators response-ability (Haraway, 1997) to contribute to imagined, tangible and possible eco-socially just futures that are vitally prescient as humankind faces some of its most unprecedented global challenges. Lastly, the paper aims to contribute to wider discourse on the phenomenon of hope, pedagogies of hope and the entanglements of education with hope and utopian potentialities. (WC: 212