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Information extraction in emergency management missions: an adaptive multi-agent approach
No full textWith increasing demands for autonomous agents to work alongside
humans in emergency management response (EMR), considerations of
translations of human to machine language (and the converse) are timely. We
present a prototype where the translation is dealt with by restricting
communications to occur through a form of controlled natural language (CNL)
(Fuchs and Schwitter, 1995). The prototype is new in that it allows for
communications between both physical and virtual autonomous agents, agents
are assigned different levels of autonomy, and it includes a level of information
hiding that allows for information to be passed to relevant agents, whilst
keeping those (humans) involved anonymous. A real-life mission is then used
to exemplify how information is retrieved and communicated in the prototype.
Finally, some usability experimental results are presented
Wayfinding as an Embodied Experience
Get PDFIsn’t the body assumed already to be used as we wayfind? Research on wayfinding has traditionally been defined as being a means of getting from A to B, with most studies always focusing on the concept that wayfinding is about using the quickest or shortest possible route
Draft Genome Sequence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027, Originally Isolated from an Outer Ear Infection
Get PDFPseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027 was isolated in 1943 from a case of
otitis externa and is commonly employed as a quality control strain for sterility, assessment
of antibiofilm agents, and in vitro study of wound infection. Here, we present
the 6.34-Mb draft genome sequence and highlight some pertinent genes that
are associated with virulence
Conceptualising kinaesthesia – Making movement palpable
Get PDFMethods for observing, registering and understanding movement have become increasingly sophisticated given the advancements in data capture, simulation and analysis, however there is still much to learn when questioning the kinesthetic properties of movement and how they relate to intersubjective phenomena and social flow. Our project, Dancing in Data, aims to reconnect with the sensuous, experiential nature of movement, to visualize data in a move away from the conceptual and concrete towards a more subjective, expressive medium. Rather than perceiving data as remote and dispassionate, we present an opportunity to address a gap in the research that considers movement as autotelic and flowing in response to a heightened bodily and kinesthetic awareness. Our research suggests that technology can play a valuable role in making movement palpable, giving rise to a richer understanding of the sensations of movement as a foundational aspect of the way in which we learn, create and communicate
Individual response to different forms of resistance training in school-aged boys
Get PDFThe aim of this study was to examine individual responses to different forms of resistance training on measures of jumping and sprinting performance in school-aged boys. Eighty boys were categorized into two maturity groups (pre- or post-PHV) and randomly assigned to a plyometric training, resistance training, combined training, or control group. Intervention groups participated in training twice weekly for six weeks, with measures of acceleration, maximal running velocity, squat jump height and reactive strength index collected pre and post intervention. In the pre-PHV cohort, plyometric training and combined training resulted in significantly more positive responders than the other two groups in both sprint variables (standardized residual values > 1.96). In the post-PHV cohort, significantly more positive responders for acceleration and squat jump height resulted from traditional strength training and combined training groups, compared with other groups. Conversely, plyometric training and combined training resulted in a significantly greater number of positive responders than the other two groups for maximal velocity and reactive strength index. Control participants rarely demonstrated meaningful changes in performance over the six-week period. Irrespective of maturation, it would appear that combined training provides the greatest opportunity for most individuals to make short-term improvements in jump and sprint performance. Taking maturation into account, our data show that a plyometric training stimulus is important for individuals in the pre-PHV stage of development, whether as a standalone method or in combination with traditional strength training, when attempting to improve jumping and sprinting ability. However, individuals in the post-PHV stage require a more specific training stimulus depending on the performance variable that is being targeted for improvement
Decision-making of English Netball Superleague umpires: Contextual and dispositional influences
Get PDFObjectives. The decisions made by officials have a direct bearing on the outcomes of competitive sport contests. In an exploratory study, we examine the interrelationships between the decisions made by elite netball umpires, the potential contextual and environmental influences (e.g., crowd size), and the umpires’ dispositional tendencies – specifically, their propensity to deliberate and ruminate on their decisions.
Design/Method. Filmed footage from 60 England Netball Superleague matches was coded using performance analysis software. We measured the number of decisions made overall, and for home and away teams; league position; competition round; match quarter; and crowd size. Additionally, 10 umpires who officiated in the matches completed the Decision-Specific Reinvestment Scale (DSRS).
Results. Regression analyses predicted that as home teams’ league position improved the number of decisions against away teams increased. A model comprising competition round and average league position of both teams predicted the number of decisions made in matches, but neither variable emerged as a significant predictor. The umpire analyses revealed that greater crowd size was associated with an increase in decisions against away teams. The Decision Rumination factor was strongly negatively related to the number of decisions in Quarters 1 and 3, this relationship was driven by fewer decisions against home teams by umpires who exhibited higher Rumination subscale scores.
Conclusions. These findings strengthen our understanding of contextual, environmental, and dispositional influences on umpires’ decision-making behaviour. The tendency to ruminate upon decisions may explain the changes in decision behaviour in relation to the home team advantage effect
Prevalence of non-functional overreaching in elite male and female youth academy football players
Get PDFPurpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of non-functional overreaching (NFOR) and overtraining (OT) in elite male and female youth football players. Methods: Two-hundred and forty-two youth football players (n = 138 boys and n = 104 girls) aged between 12 - 17 y completed a questionnaire to identify the occurrence of NFOR/OT and associated symptoms. Results: No players experienced OT. Significant sex differences for NFOR were found between girls 9% compared to boys 27% (p <0.05). For players that experienced NFOR, 33% of girls and 60% of boys experienced multiple bouts. Compared to girls, boys completed higher volumes of football training (16.3 ± 4.5 versus 12.7 ± 5.7 hours per week, p <0.05), but training load was not a significant predictor of NFOR for either sex. In both sexes NFOR was associated with tiredness, a lack of appetite, sore or heavy muscles, feeling in a bad mood, and feeling apathetic. Conclusion: Male and female elite youth football players engaged in high training volumes and experienced similar NFOR symptoms. However, there is a much higher prevalence of NFOR in boys and in those who have suffered previous bouts of NFOR
Development of a Holistic Method to Analyse the Consumption of Energy and Technical Services in Manufacturing Facilities
Get PDFThis chapter describes the background to energy usage in production operations and sets out some principles, process steps and methods to provide a more holistic view of the Significant Energy Users (SEUs) and the related consumption of energy and technical services (Heat, Air, Water). A model based on direct and indirect energy analysis from a ‘product’ viewpoint is extended to identify waste or auxiliary energy in line with ‘Lean’ principles. The auxiliary energy identified represents the best opportunity to gain energy savings through operational and behavioral changes at the lowest possible cost. The proposed process mapping methodology [Value Stream Mapping (VSM)] effectively acquires production and energy data that can be modelled to provide both steady state and dynamic energy consumption and potentially provide a multidimensional hierarchical view of this energy consumption and cost directly related to production equipment. The method is one that can be updated easily to reflect changes in the production environment and to provide a holistic view of the energy and technical services in the context of the varying production activity
Design ecosystems and innovation policy in Europe
Get PDFIn 2015, 15 of the 28 European Member States had design included in national innovation policy and between 2012 and 2016,
design action plans have been adopted by governments in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland and Latvia as well as by
the European Commission. Long misunderstood by companies and government as styling, design is a user-centred approach to
problem-solving that can be applied across the private and public sectors. Design has attracted the attention of policy-makers as
a factor for innovation as part of a paradigm shift in Europe where the remit of innovation policy is expanding. In the same way
that innovation policy is based on an analysis of the Innovation Ecosystem, design researchers have demonstrated that design
policy should be based on an analysis of the Design Ecosystem. Finland was the first country to adopt the concept of a National
Innovation System to inform innovation policy in 1992 and it was also the first country to adopt the concept of a Design Ecosystem
to inform its design policy in 2013. The European Commission’s Action Plan for Design-driven Innovation encourages all European
countries to integrate design into innovation policy and develop design action plans. However, this raises the fundamental
question of how government can effectively develop design policy. Through a consensus building process with policy-makers,
academics and design centre managers, various components of a Design Ecosystem were explored and tested. The processes
resulted in a consolidated Design Ecosystem model with nine components: (1) users, (2) support, (3) promotion, (4) actors, (5)
designers, (6) education, (7) research, (8), funding, and (9) policy. The Design Ecosystem model advocates that a policy should
consider every aspect of the ecosystem to ensure a balance between supply of and demand for design expertise
Cerebrospinal fluid extracellular vesicle enrichment for protein biomarker discovery in neurological disease; multiple sclerosis
Get PDFThe discovery of disease biomarkers, along with the use of “liquid biopsies” as a minimally invasive source of biomarkers, continues to be of great interest. In inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the most obvious biofluid source. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are also present in CSF and are thought to be potential “biomarker treasure chests”. However, isolating these CSF-derived EVs remains challenging. This small-scale pilot study developed and tested a protocol to enrich for CSF-EVs, both in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) CSF and controls. These were subsequently compared, using an aptamer based proteomics array, SOMAscan™. EVs were enriched from RRMS patient (n = 4) and non-demyelinating control (idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) (n = 3)) CSF using precipitation and mini size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). EV-enriched fractions were selected using pre-defined EV characteristics, including increased levels of tetraspanins. EVs and paired CSF were analysed by SOMAscan™, providing relative abundance data for 1128 proteins. CSF-EVs were characterised, revealing exosome-like features: rich in tetraspanins CD9 and CD81, size ~100 nm, and exosome-like morphology by TEM. Sufficient quantities of, SOMAscan™ compatible, EV material was obtained from 5 ml CSF for proteomics analysis. Overall, 348 and 580 proteins were identified in CSF-EVs and CSF, respectively, of which 50 were found to be significantly (t-test) and exclusively enriched in RRMS CSF-EVs. Selected proteins, Plasma kallikrein and Apolipoprotein-E4, were further validated by western blot and appeared increased in CSF-EVs compared to CSF. Functional enrichment analysis of the 50 enriched proteins revealed strong associations with biological processes relating to MS pathology and also extracellular regions, consistent with EV enrichment. This pilot study demonstrates practicality for EV enrichment in CSF derived from patients with MS and controls, allowing detailed analysis of protein profiles that may offer opportunities to identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic approaches in CNS inflammatory disease